Caitlyn Clark, renowned for her incredible basketball talent and grounded personality, experienced an unforgettable moment during one of her most intense games. As she played, fully immersed in the action, her focus momentarily shifted when she spotted a familiar face in the crowd. It was Miss Elaine, her high school teacher, someone who had profoundly impacted her life.
In the midst of defending a play, Caitlyn’s heart raced as memories flooded back. Miss Elaine had been more than just a teacher; she was a mentor who believed in Caitlyn when few others did. During high school, Caitlyn often faced doubts about her future, with many underestimating her unconventional playing style. But Miss Elaine saw potential where others saw limitations. “Your success will never depend on what people think of you,” she would say. “It will depend on how hard you’re willing to work and the heart you bring to what you do.” These words became Caitlyn’s mantra, guiding her through the toughest moments of her career.
Seeing Miss Elaine in the crowd brought an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Caitlyn knew she had to find a way to express her appreciation. At halftime, she made it her mission to locate her former teacher. As soon as the whistle blew, she scanned the packed arena until she spotted Miss Elaine. Without hesitation, Caitlyn walked over, her emotions evident. The two embraced warmly, a moment filled with mutual respect and affection. Miss Elaine’s eyes glistened with pride as she congratulated Caitlyn on her achievements.
Returning to the court for the second half, Caitlyn played with renewed purpose. Every shot she took and every assist she made felt like a tribute to Miss Elaine and the lessons she had imparted. The crowd could feel the shift in Caitlyn’s energy; her determination ignited her teammates and fans alike. For Caitlyn, the game was no longer just about winning; it was about honoring those who had helped her become the person she was.
After the game, Caitlyn felt compelled to spend more time with Miss Elaine. She sought her out in the arena’s back corridors, determined to have a proper conversation. When she found Miss Elaine, the joy of their reunion was tinged with concern. Caitlyn noticed that her beloved teacher seemed weaker, with a subtle exhaustion in her voice. “Are you okay?” Caitlyn asked, worry evident in her tone.
Miss Elaine hesitated before sharing the truth. “I’ve been dealing with some health issues,” she admitted softly. Caitlyn’s heart sank. The woman who had been her pillar of strength was now facing a difficult battle. “Is there anything I can do to help?” Caitlyn asked, her voice breaking.
Miss Elaine shook her head, her smile faint but genuine. “You’ve already done more than you know. Just seeing the person you’ve become is enough for me.” But Caitlyn couldn’t accept that. “I’m not going to let you go through this alone,” she said firmly. “You were there for me when I needed it the most. Now it’s my turn to be there for you.”
Determined to honor Miss Elaine’s legacy, Caitlyn organized a special event at her next game. Standing at center court, she held the microphone as the crowd fell silent. “Tonight, I want to honor someone who has had an incredible impact on my life,” Caitlyn began, her voice steady but emotional. “That person is Miss Elaine, my high school teacher.”
As the spotlight shifted to Miss Elaine, the crowd erupted in applause. Caitlyn continued, “Miss Elaine has dedicated her life to helping young people, and it’s time we give back to her.” She announced a $1 million donation to renovate and expand the youth center where Miss Elaine had volunteered for years. The arena filled with cheers as Caitlyn walked over to Miss Elaine, pulling her into a hug. “This is for you and for all the kids you’ve inspired.”
The grand reopening of the youth center became a day of celebration, filled with laughter, tears, and heartfelt speeches. Miss Elaine was invited to cut the ribbon, her hands trembling with emotion. As the crowd cheered, Caitlyn stood beside her, beaming with pride.
In that moment, Caitlyn realized that true greatness wasn’t about accolades or championships; it was about using her success to lift others up. The event inspired the community to reflect on the mentors who had shaped their lives, ensuring that Miss Elaine’s legacy would live on for generations to come.
Caitlin Clark was a grade-school phenom. Her 60-point game in high school was sign of things to come
Caitlin Clark’s skills were so advanced when she was in grade school that her parents signed her up to play on boys teams. By the time she entered middle school she was well-known in basketball circles across Iowa.
This was long before Clark became one of the faces of women’s basketball and, now, on the cusp of setting the NCAA Division I scoring record.
Clark was in sixth grade when Jan Jensen first heard about her. Not long after, Iowa’s associate head coach and chief recruiter went to watch the prodigy from West Des Moines.
She saw a confident player making pinpoint passes often too hot for her teammates to handle, someone who was creative on drives to the hoop and of course someone willing to launch the deep 3-pointers that would become her signature and one of the reasons she’s one of the United States’ highest-profile female athletes.
“It didn’t take but a second, maybe a minute,” Jensen said. “That little step-back sassy 3, this little seventh-, eighth-grader. Yeah, she’s diff. You could just tell. They’re easy to identify but really hard to get. Everybody can see the true, true ones. The trick is to get them.”
Clark needs 39 points to break the NCAA career record of 3,527 by Washington’s Kelsey Plum (2013-17). With an average of 32.4 points per game, Clark is on track to break the record at Nebraska on Sunday or Feb. 15 at home against Michigan.
“I didn’t predict this to happen, but just knowing her work ethic, knowing her passion for the sport, knowing her fearlessness, I’m really not surprised,” said Kristin Meyer, who coached Clark from 2016-20 at Dowling Catholic High in West Des Moines. “More than anything, I’m so happy for her to get to accomplish all of these things, to grow the sport and to grow the popularity of women’s basketball and also the state of Iowa.”
The daughter of Brent Clark and Anne Nizzi-Clark grew up as the middle child in a sports-centric family. Caitlin said when she first started playing basketball, she would cry after every game her team lost.
“That’s because of how much I cared,” she said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I’m like 6 years old and it didn’t matter, obviously. But it mattered to me.”
That passion for winning took root when she and brothers Blake and Colin played board games and all kinds of sports against each other. She recalled a basement Nerf basketball game with Colin that got overheated.
“I just threw him into the wall,” she said. “He went flying and his head slapped into it. He put his hand back and it was just full of blood. He runs upstairs to my mom. She goes and gets a bunch of staples in his head.”
Meyer was preparing for her first year as Dowling High coach in 2016 when she first heard about a “stud eighth-grader” who would be joining the team.
“I was, ‘OK, that’s nice. We’ll have a good player,’” Meyer said.
And then she went to watch Clark’s AAU club the spring before her freshman year — “Oh, she’s real good,” Meyer remembers thinking — and realized she would build her first team around Clark.
Coaching Clark was sometimes a challenge, Meyer said, because she was so advanced in her skills and basketball IQ. As has happened during her career at Iowa, Clark would show frustration if the target of one of her passes wasn’t ready to catch it or if a play didn’t unfold as designed.
“There were times the competitiveness of her kind of took over or she wasn’t as patient,” Meyer said, “but every high schooler has to grow through some things and, looking back, her skill level was on a different level than other people, so it was harder for her at times.”
Clark, who never won a high school state title, ranks No. 4 on the Iowa high school five-on-five career scoring chart with 2,547 points. Many Iowa schools played six-on-six into the 1980s and ’90s.
Clark’s AAU team, the All-Iowa Attack, won the 2018 Nike GEYBL national championship and was runner-up in 2017 and 2019. She won gold medals at the international level with the USA Under 16 and U19 teams.
One of her few disappointments — and another source of motivation — came the summer after her sophomore season when she was left off the 12-player roster for the USA U17 team.
“She’s one who loves a challenge and then responds to it,” Meyer said. “She took a big step between her sophomore and junior year, and a lot of that was due to not making the team.”
Clark was Gatorade National Player of the Year after averaging 32.6 points per game as a junior. Her defining high school game came late that season at Mason City, where she made a state-record 13 3-pointers, on 17 attempts, and scored 60 points, one off the state record.
By then, Clark was a consensus five-star prospect and receiving attention from almost every major program. The Hawkeyes ultimately won out over Notre Dame.
Megan Meyer (no relation to Kristin), who played AAU ball with Clark and was her teammate at Iowa for a year, was one of the Mason City players who tried to defend her. Mason City was no pushover, and most of Clark’s shots were contested in the 32-minute game.
“I remember thinking, ‘How in the world can somebody score 60 points in a high school basketball game?’” Megan Meyer said.
Clark hit six 3s and scored 25 points in the first quarter alone. When the game ended, the Mason City student section lined up to get her autograph, same as fans do after Iowa games now.
“That game, I’m sure, had a lot of foreshadowing of what was to come,” Jensen said.