Caitlin Clark is widely regarded as the greatest female collegiate player of all time. In her four years with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Clark kickstarted the phenomenon that’s now known as the ‘Caitlin Clark effect.’ She helped popularize women’s basketball and raised the standard for what it took to be a college basketball star.
It all could’ve gone very differently. After high school, Clark was already one of the top talents in the country. Needless to say, she had multiple offers on the table. At one point, she even made a verbal commitment to Notre Dame because her family wanted her to go there.
Fortunately, Clark didn’t sign the letter of intent, which allowed her to take a step back, reevaluate, and sign with the Hawkeyes. During a recent conversation with WNBA legend Sue Bird on Bird’s Eye View, Clark explained why she chose Iowa over Notre Dame or UConn.
“I think just her belief in me from day one when I stepped on campus — she gave me the keys to the offense, really the program, and always had a constant belief in what I could do and what I could help us achieve,” Clark said about her coach, Lisa Bluder. (From 19:00)
Coach Lisa Bluder had faith in Clark, and she recognized her talent early on. Clark recalled that during one of her first summer practices, she played very well. And when they had a golf event to raise money for their foreign trip, Bluder conveyed her feelings to Clark’s father as well.
“Coach Bluder had gone up to my dad and said, ‘Caitlin’s doing so well,’ and I was so proud to hear that when my dad told me,” Clark recalled.
Clark chose Iowa for various reasons. Their style of playing offense, Bluder’s ability to train point guard, and having a key role immediately since Kathleen Doyle had just left, all played a role. Clark also said she wanted to take them to the Final Four, which she did in her last two years.
Caitlin Clark detailed the key to her success in Iowa
When Clark decided to join Iowa, her decision didn’t make sense to a lot of people. On paper, she had better offers to go with. But the young guard had a different vision, one that people didn’t believe in initially, but eventually she proved them all wrong.
While speaking about the reason why her team was so successful, Clark said:
“Trusting my teammates, that was something I always wanted to do early in my career in college. I felt like I always had to do it all by myself. But especially in my junior and senior years, that was the reason why we were so good.”
Clark said her teammates flourished in their respective roles, and she trusted them with their responsibilities. She believes her teammate’s trust helped her get better at her game as well.
When asked where the trust came from, she said it was because they spent a lot of time together. As rare as it is now, the Hawkeyes had the same starting five for four years straight. The time allowed Clark and her teammates to know and understand each other well. It translated well when they stepped on the court.
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