Throughout the 2023-2024 Iowa women’s basketball season, Caitlin Clark has been on top. She has broken records, become a national sensation and impacted society’s view on women’s basketball.
Clark has shown off her ability to dominate the court throughout her years at the University of Iowa. However, her last couple of years have made the largest impact with her setting, or breaking, around 19 different records. A few being the all-time women’s NCAA Division 1 scoring leader and set the Big Ten career record for 3-pointers.
“I think Caitlin Clark’s passion and dedication to basketball is amazing,” Xavier freshman Roman Carter said. “She has skills like no other and qualities that make her the greatest of all time.”
Clark put Women’s basketball on the map and taught millions what it meant to love the sport. She has shown off her iconic logo shot and her ability to control the court when needed. However, Clark is able to maintain a professional image as well.
“She has so many different abilities,” freshman parent Luke Hansen said. “She can pass the ball well, she plays fast, she can shoot farther than any woman ever has and farther than really any man has. She’s tough and fiery but still professional when it comes time to present herself after a game.”
Many find that Clark plays with ease and confidence, and has made the sport compelling. She has brought a new group of views to women’s basketball with her new style of playing.
“I was never a basketball fan,” Kennedy alumnus and freshman parent Rita McCord said. “But basketball looks like breathing when she plays. She makes it look so easy and when it gets tough, she carries herself with confidence and plays on.”
Coming from Des Moines, Iowan girls look up to her. They admire the way that she plays and holds herself with confidence. Seeing her break records this season and become a national sensation has brought new excitement to the sport.
“Seeing that she comes from Iowa, the same state that they might come from, can lead young athletes to find some of themselves in her,” freshman Payton Thier said. “It can inspire them to keep going because they see what someone else has achieved that has a similar background as them. She inspires me to work hard and the goals that I hold for myself in my athletic career.”
The 2024 WNBA draft had amazing athletes, Clark was the first overall pick, being signed to Indiana. With the draft of Clark and other strong athletes like Angel Reece and Cameron Brink, the WNBA is anticipating a rise in viewership.
“The numbers clearly show that it is the first year ever that more people watched the women’s college championship game than the men, by about four million people,” Hansen said. “So, I do think that her draft will have a large impact on the viewer count. I think that they are already moving some games into bigger arenas in anticipation.”
Although Clark’s career is far from over, she has already made such an impact on women’s basketball. Fans are waiting to see if she will continue to dominate the court at the next level. Working with the Fevers after their 13-27 season and teaming up with Aliyah Boston, viewers are awaiting the impact that Clark is going to bring to the team.
“I believe the future holds great things; more broken records for her own, more endorsements, and hopefully an Olympic medal one day,” McCord said. “That’s the great thing about Caitlin Clark, she is a dream to believe in.”
