You don’t have to be sweating a March Madness show (or even attending a game) to know the name Caitlin Clark. After breaking numerous of his NCAA records over the past few years, the 22-year-old Iowa Hawkeyes guard is perhaps the most talked about athlete in college right now. or And while she’s been involved in professional sports, she’s long given women’s basketball the attention it deserves.
In his final home game on March 3, Clark casually became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer (among men). and woman). Tickets for the sold-out game were the most expensive in women’s basketball (both NCAA and WNBA) history. Not that surprising considering the other games she played were draws. Record-breaking TV views, too.The great basketball player (and Clark’s childhood idol) was among the 15,000 fans who came to watch Clark dominate the court IRL that day. maya mooreJake from State Farm, and rapper Travis Scott.
And as March Madness continues, she’s only thinking about adding to all her accolades. Clark is in the midst of her final NCAA Championship run, leading her team to its third Sweet Sixteen (fourth since 2019). The top-seeded Hawkeyes will play the fifth-seeded Colorado Buffaloes on March 30th at 3:30 p.m. ET for the next day’s Elite Eight spot. To brush up on everything you need to know about basketball’s fastest-rising star until then, here are some fun facts to help you get started.
1. She has revealed her basketball career since the third grade.
Although Clark grew up playing competitive sports such as soccer and softball, she had basketball specifically in mind since she was 9 years old. on ESPN Inside view In an interview, Clark talked about a dream board he created in elementary school where he wrote down his life goals, including earning a basketball scholarship and playing in the WNBA. Check, check. (I’ll keep an eye on the “huge mansion” and “three to four children” in the future.)
2. Clark played on a boys’ team when he was a child.
As the middle child, Clark grew up in an environment where: self-introduction A “sports family”, her father was her first basketball coach. He recognized her advanced skills early on and enrolled her on the men’s team so she could continue to try. She played on the boys soccer and basketball teams longer than the co-ed teams, playing until about her sixth grade, and even won MVP one year. “I think that was something very special in my growth, and it never fazed me,” she told ESPN. “I was like, I’m a girl so I can be strong and this is not something I was afraid of.”
3. Her siblings helped her develop her athletic abilities.
Clark, who calls her brothers both her “biggest supporters” and “biggest haters,” told ESPN with a laugh that they continue to humble her. In particular, she credits her older brother, who she describes as always being her “big, strong, fast” guy, for pushing her athletically. . “Whenever I wanted to play with him or his friends…I never won anything. My mom always said if you want to play with them, you have to find a way to protect yourself. ” she told ESPN.
4. She takes home more cash than any other women’s college basketball player.
In 2021, the N.C.A.A. rule Allows college athletes to make money off their name, image, and likeness (NIL). In other words, student-athletes can now get paid for social media brand deals, commercials, and other partnerships. This rule effectively created the first college athlete influencer, and Clark is capitalizing on the moment.
1.1 million thanks to her instagram followers And with its national profile, Clark is also a natural partner for major brands such as State Farm, Gatorade, and Nike. Her total trades since January 2022 are $3.1 million, according to the verified NIL trade tracker run by She. on 3. The amount makes Clark the highest-paid player in NCAA women’s basketball history and the fourth highest-paid college athlete (behind men’s basketball players Bronny James and Shedule Sanders and women’s gymnastics star Libby Dune). became.
5. A marketing major will help you get the most out of marketing.
When she’s not practicing free throws or pumping irons, you can find Clark crafting killer retail strategies. She is an honors student majoring in Marketing and minoring in Communication Studies at the University of Iowa’s Tippy College of Business. And her campaign-filled Instagram grid simply proves that hitting those books pays off.
