Caitlin Clark: The Special Talent Being Recognised

For the third time in the last 23 years, the NCAA women’s basketball scoring record may soon change hands. Plum, the former Washington Huskies star who is ranked first on the list with 3,527, is 39 points ahead of Clark. Prior to Plum, Stiles of Missouri State held the record with 3,393 points between 2001 and 2017.

Caitlin Clark: The Special Talent Being Recognised

Clark is attempting to savor every moment, even though Stiles and Plum’s record chase occasionally became taxing.

“I don’t feel that much pressure,” she said after Iowa’s 111-93 victory over Penn State on Thursday in Iowa City. “I feel like, at this point, it’s like ‘when’ it’s going to happen, rather than me chasing it down.

“My main focus is just on winning, having fun, enjoying these environments because

Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese with our Athletes of the Year award in December—an honor that had previously gone to legends like Lionel Messi, Tom Brady, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee—we determined that, based on her scoring average at the time, she was expected to surpass Kelsey Plum of Washington at some point in late February. That gave us plenty of time to arrange appropriate press coverage for the event.

We overlooked one important detail: Caitlin Clark is someone for whom averages are not just meant to be broken, but records themselves.

As soon as possible. She has expedited the time it will take to shatter the record by weeks with her average of 32.6 points over the last five games. Her current season scoring average of 32.2 points per game would mark the greatest for any player in over 30 years if she were to finish the season at that level. She has the potential to surpass Patricia Hoskins’ record for the greatest season in NCAA women’s basketball history.

Clark was regarded as one of the top five players in the 2020 recruiting class and was an outstanding prospect at Dowling Catholic in Des Moines. Her potential to become a standout collegiate player eventually gave way to her status as an all-time great and a generational talent, one whose accomplishments and skills would be mentioned alongside luminaries like Nancy Lieberman, Cheryl Miller, Chamique Holdsclaw, and Maya Moore.

Bluder had seen Clark when she was a junior high school athlete, competing on an AAU squad for older girls. She saw that, in addition to being an athlete, Clark had “something special” about him as a young kid. Bluder knew from once that Iowa would be pursuing her, even at that age.

“She looked like the most mature, most savvy basketball player on the court when she was competing against high schoolers,” Bluder told The Sporting News. “Plus you could just sense her competitiveness and her passion for the game at an early age, which a lot of kids don’t really show it. They might show anger, but they don’t show that passion.”

The phrase “logo three” is now as popular in women’s college basketball as it is in the NBA because to Clark’s improved shooting range as she has aged and gained muscle. However, she demonstrated additional abilities that are now overlooked even before she was able to legally operate a vehicle.

“It was her passing and her ability to handle the ball and just command the floor,” Bluder said. “I think that’s what was amazing at a young age.”

“When she came to Iowa, her freshman year, it was obvious that she had the potential to be one of the best players in America. I’m never going to say that I predicted she’d be the best player in America, but certainly that she’d be challenging for it,” Bluder said.

When Clark’s name is brought up among the greatest basketball players ever, her face never fails to beam. She enjoys studying sports history and has shared stories about how one of her childhood heroes, Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx and UConn, treated her with kindness when Clark contacted her.

While talking about Clark’s strategy for setting a scoring record, it’s easy to overlook the fact that she also creates plays and scores points. She will become the sixth player in NCAA history to record 1,000 assists in the coming weeks.

Just before Clark came to Iowa, Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu, a two-time national player of the year, concluded her career with 2,562 points and 1,091 assists. Ionescu produced a minimum of 4,746 points for the Ducks in her four seasons, or at least 40% of the team’s total scoring, given that each assist is worth at least two points. For Iowa, Clark has scored at least 5,422 points, or 51% of the total.

How many 3 pointers has Caitlin Clark made?

Clark’s career numbers
Clark Big Ten record
Points 3,489 3,489
Assists 995 995
3-pointers 473 497

What is Caitlin Clark highest scoring game?

In 2018, Megan Gustafson, a player for the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA, scored forty-eight points versus Minnesota. 2022 saw Clark score a career-high 46 points against Michigan.

What record did Caitlin Clark break?

Clark’s 10 assists versus Minnesota on December 30 became him the Big Ten’s all-time assist leader. At this moment, she stands as the sole Division I athlete to have scored over 3,000 points, 900 assists, and 800 rebounds. It is currently predicted that Clark will defeat Michigan on February 15th, breaking the Division I women’s score record.

How many 40 point games does Caitlin Clark have?

She is welcome to have it.” If all goes as planned, Clark should be at the top of the NCAA list very shortly. It may happen as soon as this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET when the Hawkeyes visit Nebraska. Three of Clark’s 11 games this season have seen her score 40 points or more.

 

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