WNBA Hopeful Caitlin Clark’s Impressive Career Started With a Childhood Dream
The fierce Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball player had her eyes set on the WNBA in grade school.
Caitlin Clark is a household name in women's basketball, and she hasn't even graduated college yet. The University of Iowa senior made NCAA Division I history as the greatest point scorer of all time, and for the second year in a row, she has led her college team to the final four at the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. While Iowa recently lost to the University of South Carolina in the women's championship game held on April 7, Clark's legacy as a female basketball player is far from over. The WNBA draft on April 15 may just serve as proof of the point guard's continuing legacy in the game of women's basketball.
Clark started her blazing career in Des Moines on her hometown's local boys' teams, as her father reportedly couldn't find a girl's team for her to join. Despite the other parents' dismay that Clark shouldn't play with boys, the young and fiery Clark led her AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) boys team to a state championship.
Read on to learn more about Caitlin Clark, the famed Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball player and the current leading point scorer in college basketball history.
Childhood
Born in Des Moines, Iowa, to Brent and Anne Nizzi-Clark, Clark was raised in West Des Moines along with her two brothers Blake and Colin. The three siblings all graduated from Dowling Catholic High School and, as a surprise to none, all played sports during their youth. The Clark family's history with athletics goes way back, as Clark's maternal grandfather coached high school football at Clark's former high school while her father played basketball and football at Simpson College. As for her siblings, 24-year-old Blake was Iowa State's former quarterback, and Colin, who recently graduated from Dowling Catholic in 2023, played high school basketball.
"We were always involved in sports, and, at home, we were always around sports," Blake said to the local Iowa newspaper, Cedar Rapids Gazette, in 2021. "We watched sports at night whether we would go to Drake and watch basketball games, or watch cousins play their basketball games or tournaments, when you’re just around something that much, it’s what you do, too.”
Her father, Brent, also discussed his daughter's career with pride as he compared her to himself as an athlete.
"I see a lot of myself at times in Caitlin in terms of her passion for the game," Brent told the local TV news outlet KCRG-TV9. "All in all, that's really what drives her and makes her the player that she is."
It's clear from her family's account that Clark's talent has always been apparent, and a recent interview with ESPN revealed that the hard work and sheer perseverance Clark put in weren't for nothing, as she has dreamed of the WNBA since childhood. Journalist Holly Rowe resurfaced a "future dreams" worksheet Clark made when she was in the second grade, which revealed that her number one dream was to go to the WNBA.
"Looking back at that sheet, obviously I've been able to check off a lot of those goals, and to be a couple days away from checking off another one is pretty special," said Clark.
High School Career
Before people knew Clark as the star point guard for the Iowa Hawkeyes, she was a budding talent at Dowling Catholic High School. When Clark was a senior in 2019, she was considered a five-star recruit, with colleges including Notre Dame and the University of Connecticut aggressively recruiting her. As we know, her home state's university eventually won her over.
Her former high school coach, Kristin Meyer, spoke to WOI-DT to discuss Clark's rising influence in women's college sports.
"It's just not even in the realm of possibilities when you're looking forward. It's just been amazing to see the effect she's had on the game. Drawing fans in to watch women's sports, especially little kids watching and idolizing her, and the attention she brought to the University of Iowa and the state of Iowa, it is really amazing to see," Meyer told the station.
According to the Indianapolis Star, Clark ranked fourth in the state during her high school basketball career and scored a total of 2,547 points.
College
Clark made her collegiate debut on November 25, 2020, and proceeded to score 27 points, eight rebounds, and four assists against Northern Iowa. During her freshman year, the point guard started 30 games and averaged 26.6 points per game according to Sporting News. She ranked second in assists and 3-pointers across the entire Divison I and was given the honor of the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
As for her most recent 2023-2024 season, Clark has averaged 31.6 points and achieved a Big Ten Tournament career record with 112 assists across her 13 tournament games. Throughout her entire career, she started 130 games for Iowa.
With her impressive career catching the attention of many, Clark has made numerous television appearances including a recent appearance on SNL for the Weekend Update.
Outside of basketball, Clark is a marketing major at the University of Iowa and will be graduating from the school's Tippie College of Business.
