As the crowd roars to life, the players fight for position under the basketball, as the fast-paced back-and-forth game comes to a close. Lights shine bright as high definition cameras click away, trying to get a glimpse of a historic championship. Hot dogs and popcorn permeate the air as the colors are divided between maroon red and black and yellow. Another 3 rains down from beyond the arc, despite one team’s best effort, they cannot contain the consistent shooting of female sharp-shooter, and record breaker Caitlin Clark. That is one of the many storylines regarding the women’s college basketball star. However, there’s more to it as she is changing the game for all women in the sport.
This past week Caitlin Clark was finally drafted into the WNBA number one overall by the Indiana Fever. This came as no surprise for the superstar as she had encapsulated basketball fans across the globe with her immaculate shooting skills. This comes after her Iowa squad lost only five games on their way to a national championship. Unfortunately, the run fell short as they faced off against the undefeated South Carolina Gamecock and legendary coach Dawn Staley; this team had their own historic finish as they finished with a 38-0 season.
Clark rose to fame last year after people picked up on her insane shooting ability that seemed Steph Curry-like in skill and range. Her popularity only continued to grow as Clark carried her team into the Women’s March Madness Tournament. Similar to this year, they fell short at the end against Kim Mulkey’s polarizing LSU side. This is what began a rivalry between LSU’s Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. Reese taunted Clark during the game as time on the clock wound down. Although Clark downplayed the incident, it was clear that this rivalry was captivating basketball fans from all ends of the spectrum.
That is why it was even more interesting to see during Iowa’s run this year. Many people were in anticipation of how Clark and Reese would meet up in a matchup in the Elite Eight. This game would end up breaking women’s basketball T.V. records in its own right, making it one of the most highly watched basketball games — between both men’s and women’s. However, it would be disrespectful to label Clark’s notoriety as just a rivalry with another team. Clark has shown immense skill and shooting ability that the women’s game had been missing for a long time. Along with a long list of accomplishments, breaking “Pistol” Pete Marivich’s NCAA scoring record, is at the top, making Clark that much more impressive, not only on the court in the history books.
As Clark moves towards the future, It will not be forgotten the mark she has left on the game. However, that mark may still be finding its way, as it seems like Clark is destined to grow the Women’s game, not only in college but on the professional level.
