IOWA, USA — Caitlin Clark could've played college basketball wherever she wanted.
She had no shortage of college offers coming out of Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines.
But her choice to stay close to home has changed the course of Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball forever.
And her game is now catching the eye of John Cena, Magic Johnson and (apparently) even Yo-Yo Ma.
A junior in Iowa City, Clark’s 41 points in a 77-73 Final Four win over South Carolina led the 2-seed Hawkeyes to a national championship appearance against 3-seed LSU.
The Tigers won it all with their relentless offense in a 102-85 victory.
High school highlight reel
Clark's resume as a Hawkeye is matched only by her accomplishments at Dowling.
While in high school, she won two gold medals for Team USA in the 2017 U16 FIBA Americas Tournament and 2019 U19 FIBA World Cup Tournament.
In 2019, she score 60 points against Mason City while hitting a state-record 13 3-pointers.
Clark is fourth in state history for career points (2,547) and sixth in career 3-pointers made (283). She was named Miss Iowa Basketball in 2020 and holds the Class 5A state tournament record for points in a game (42) and 3-pointers made in a game (7), both against Waukee in 2019.
And as an aside, you probably shouldn't chant "overrated" at her. (See video below)
The legend heads to Iowa City
Iowa women's basketball's trajectory to the Final Four would not have been possible without head coach Lisa Bluder getting the highly-touted prospect to don the black and gold.
In November 2019, Clark committed to Iowa over Notre Dame while also holding offers from Iowa State and Texas. The No. 4 overall prospect in the Class of 2020 was headed to Iowa City.
"I think the main things about Iowa that I liked is one: doing something special that's never been done before. I think that was super important to me," Clark said at the time. "Two: I'm really close with my family. So I wanted to be close. I wanted to have them at all my games. Not just my immediate family, but my aunts, uncles, cousins and having family friends there too was important to me."
In 2021, the Hawkeyes lost to UConn 92-72 in the Sweet 16. In 2022, they lost 64-62 to Creighton in the tourney's Second Round.
In an Elite 8 win over Louisville, Clark had a triple-double with 41 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds: the first time anyone in NCAA Tournament history has had a triple-double with at least 30 points.
Clark shattered more records in the recent Final Four game against LSU, becoming the first women's player to post back-to-back 40-point games in the NCAA tournament.
In addition to her historic play, Clark has led the way with NIL, signing deals with companies like Nike and Hy-Vee.
Milestone moments
Nov. 25, 2020: Made her Iowa debut by scoring 27 points with eight rebounds, four assists and three steals in a win over Northern Iowa.
Dec. 2, 2020: Has first 30-point game, scoring 30 at Drake.
Dec. 22, 2020: Has first triple-double, with 13 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in win over Western Illinois.
Jan. 2, 2022: First 40-point game, with 44 points against Evansville.
Jan. 20, 2022: Had the second of consecutive 30-point triple-doubles with 35 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in a 105-49 win at Minnesota. Clark joined Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Luka Doncic Giannis Antetokounmpo as the only NBA, WNBA, and Division I men’s or women’s players with back-to-back 30-point triple-doubles since 2000.
Jan. 25, 2022: Broke Iowa’s single-game assist record with 18 in a win at Penn State.
Feb. 6, 2022: Scored a career-high 46 points against Michigan.
March 4, 2022: Had 19 points and six assists in a 72-59 win over Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament opener to finish a streak of 19 games with at least 15 points and five assists. It tied Murray State’s Ja Morant for the second-longest such streak in Division I history behind Texas Tech’s Trae Young (22).
Dec. 21, 2022: Eclipsed 2,000 career points in her 75th career game, matching Elena Delle Donne as the fastest NCAA Division I women’s basketball player to reach that mark.
Feb. 26, 2023: Hits buzzer-beating 3-pointer to top Indiana in final regular season game. Clark scored 34 points and added nine rebounds and nine assists. She took the inbound pass from Kate Martin with 1.5 seconds left while coming off a screen from Monika Czinano. Her off-balance shot from the right side that rolled in as the horn sounded.
March 17, 2023-current: The first player since 2000 to average at least 30 points and 10 assists over a five-game span while also shooting at least 50% from the field.
March 26, 2023: Had the first 40-point triple-double in NCAA Tournament history, with 41 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in a regional final win over Louisville.
March 31, 2023: Became the first player to post back-to-back 40-point performances in the women's NCAA Tournament after her 41-point game lifted the Hawkeyes over previously unbeaten South Carolina in the Final Four.
College Stats & Honors
Freshman Year (2020-21)
- 26.6 points per game, 7.1 assists per game and 5.9 rebounds per game (30 games)
- Second Team AP All-American, Big Ten Freshman of the Year, First Team All-Big Ten
- Won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2021 U19 FIBA World Cup
Sophomore Year (2021-22)
- 27 points per game, 8 assists and 8 rebounds per game (32 games)
- Naismith Award finalist, First Team AP All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year, First-Team All-Big Ten
Junior Year (2022-23)
- 27.8 points per game, 8.6 assists per game and 7.1 rebounds per game (38 games)
- Naismith Player of the Year, AP Player of the Year, Big Ten Player of the Year, First Team AP All-American, First Team All-Big Ten
Hawkeye Career Totals
- 27.8 points per game, 7.98 assists and 7 rebounds per game (100 games)
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NOVEMBER 2019: Caitlin Clark explains her decision to play at Iowa