CLEVELAND (AP) — Caitlin Clark doesn't want to think about it. Or they don't want to talk about it. More on that later. Probably much later.
Yes, the Iowa star is looking at packed stands. Every time she drops another 3-pointer from the logo, you can hear a pop in the crowd. She felt that there were a lot of media around her. Her name trended almost everywhere in four months, and we don't need to remind you that it changed her life, and in some ways her sport.
The reality is NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer I imagined some of this. After his heartbreaking loss to LSU in the national title game a year ago, Clark's sole focus was finding a way back.
That moment came Sunday, after a paradigm-shifting season.
And it ended exactly like last year's final game against LSU, with Clark and the Hawkeyes walking off the floor as confetti rained down on everyone else. South Carolina won for the second time in three years. — she tried to keep it in perspective.
Yes, she wanted to win. Terrible. And she played like that, especially in the first quarter, scoring 18 points, her most points in a quarter in an NCAA final. However, the deep and unrelenting Shamcock wore down Clark and Hawkeye. She completed her total of 30 points before checking out with 20 seconds left and received a long, loud applause and hug from coach Lisa Bruder.
There were no tears. Not publicly anyway. Instead, she was recognized for an incredible journey that most people thought was impossible when she arrived on campus four years ago.
“It's probably going to be emotional over the next few days,” Clark said. “I don't have a lot of time to sit around and sulk and get angry. I don't think I'm going to do that either. Yeah, I'm disappointed that we lost this game, but at the same time I'm sorry for myself, my teammates, And I'm very proud of this program. There's a lot to be proud of.”
Clark's influence
Evidence of how far Clark and women's college basketball have come has been seen everywhere over the past month, but nowhere was it more evident than at the Final Four, where star power was packed both on the court and in the stands.
The arena was nearly full when Clark's now-iconic No. 22 took the floor during the University of Iowa's open practice on Saturday. Jogging to meet her teammates in a black jersey, shorts and socks, she casually sank a 3-point shot from the side as she touched the ball for the first time. The droplets pierced the net, making a sound loud enough for her ears to hear.
It was like that for 50 mostly unofficial minutes. The cameras in the arena never wandered far. The crowd was never silent. That's never the case when Clark is involved.
This situation has been going on for a while now. She welcomed the spotlight simply because it was directed in the direction of her choosing, and navigated it all with extraordinary sophistication.
Clark doesn't see herself as something special, but as part of a burgeoning ecosystem in women's sports.Indeed, her record 14.2 million I tuned in to watch Iowa win. Friday night at UConn. She doesn't see it as a one-off.
“I think you see that across the board, whether it’s softball, whether it’s gymnastics, whether it’s volleyball,” Clark said. “People want to see it. It's when they are given the opportunity, and the research and facts show that people love it.”
And they especially loved Clark, and she thought this was going to be the biggest full-circle moment for Clark yet. She remembers that when she was a kid, she was part of the “Zimmermania” that surrounded former BYU sharpshooter Jimmer Fredette.
Now she wears T-shirts with her likeness in the stands with children.She is someone who has established some kind of territory. basketball game sold out Everywhere she laces up her black and yellow Nikes. It's a little weird, even if that wasn't her intention.
Growing up, she dreamed of helping Iowa State corner the powerhouses in women's basketball. Now, she and Hawkeye are stepping up to the plate as part of the sport's elite.That was always the goal, but surprisingly not all that came with it: commercials, name drops from hoops royalty, etc. lebron james and steph curry and how she helped make women's basketball accessible to an audience that had long considered it an afterthought.
You may feel dizzy. But she has tried to keep the issue in perspective, and has emphasized as much as possible that this – whatever it is – is never just about her. It's about those who have come before and those who are coming.
This is a group called is rapidly expanding.
As Clark and Hawkeye go through a walkthrough celebrating their journey, a young girl holds a sign that says, “I used to play soccer, and now I play hoops.” Ta. She is never alone.
“I truly believe that every time Caitlin breaks a record or is taken out of a game, there are thousands of boys and girls taking shots and wishing they were 22 years old,” Iowa coach Lisa Bruder said. ” he said. “Thousands”
what's next
The original version, at least at this level, is ready to cede the stage to others. Clark knows that moment will come, even though he tries not to get ahead of himself. If you get too caught up in everything being the end, you end up spending too much energy on the task at hand.
“I know what's next will happen soon,” she said Sunday. “But at the same time, I’m not blind to the fact that I need to enjoy this, I need to soak in this.”
of WNBA draft, the game in which Clark is expected to be taken No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever, is just over a week away on April 15th. Then I might spend some time with Team USA before the Paris Olympics.
A whirlwind broke out. It will be a whirlwind. There will be time to look back. Sunday marked the end of a part of her life. A new start will begin next week. She hopes those who enter the tent will stay there for what's to come.
“I don’t really get upset when people say they’ve never watched women’s basketball before,” she said. “Yeah, I think you're a little late to the party. But two, it's cool. We're changing the game. We're attracting more people.”
People watching cheered her on. The people she saw cheered against her. People were watching out of curiosity. People looked at me strangely.
Clark doesn't really care how or why they came together. All that matters is that they did it, and it means more than any net cutting ceremony ever.
“When you see people not just attend the game, but support the game and invest in the game, they understand the game,” she said. “They know what's going on. They're passionate about it. To me, that's the coolest thing.”
That's the thing about Caitlin Clark.
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AP March Madness Bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ And scope of application: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
