Caitlin Clark could’ve played at Iowa this basketball season had she opted for her fifth year of eligibility.
Can you imagine the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer coming back and dominating the scene again? It almost happened as Clark pondered the possibility early last season.
But in the end, she decided to go pro, went No. 1 overall and was the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year. Seems like a good choice.
Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“It’s crazy, because of COVID, I could have actually gone back to school for a fifth year,” Clark said on New Heights. “Early on yes, (Iwas considering coming back). It’s college, like you’re there with your friends and like the game’s just easier. Like, it’s just how it is, and you don’t want that chapter of your life to end like, it’s fun you do this and, yeah, it’s easy going and whatever.”
Clark admitted that NIL made it easier to consider a fifth year of college due to the financial impact. But at a certain point, she knew the WNBA was next for her, rather than a return to Iowa.
“So I was like, kind of considering that, but then I got to the point where I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m totally leaving,’” Clark said. “Like, I know this is going to be the end for me. I felt very content in that. And then obviously, like, I had a very good feeling that I was probably going to be the first pick. But like, you’re still sitting there and like, everybody gets nervous and jittery, no matter where you’re projected or what you’re going to be. This is a moment you’ve always dreamed of as a kid.”
Caitlin Clark impact on Iowa won’t be forgotten
There’s no doubt her impact on women’s basketball will have ripple effects for years to come. Not only that, Iowa already made the decision to retire Clark’s No. 22 jersey this coming February.
But before Clark starred in the professional ranks, she was an absolute terror in college. She won virtually every award you could, while being named to all sorts of postseason teams recognizing the best of the best.
Clark set the NCAA all-time scoring record, surpassing LSU’s Pete Maravich in the process.
She also set NCAA records for the most single-game assists, dishing out 15 in a game against Colorado in the NCAA Tournament. She took the NCAA’s all-time career field goals made record, as well, doing so in the same game against Colorado.
In addition, she became just the sixth player ever to amass 1,000 or more career assists. Clark also became the first Division I player to produce back-to-back 1,000-point seasons.
Clark is the all-time leader in 30-plus point performances in men’s and women’s college basketball over the last 25 seasons, notching 59 such games. She had 20 career games with 30-plus points and 10-plus assists, with no other woman in college basketball in the past 25 seasons having more than two such games.
