CLEVELAND — There were mostly smiles from Kaitlin Clark after Sunday's national championship game, an 87-75 loss to South Carolina that ended her career at Iowa State. She admitted that the end of this part of her journey would hit her in the next 48 hours or so, but for now, still sitting in her black and gold Iowa uniform, her overwhelming emotion was one of gratitude.
Clark chose to stay in her home state for college, even though Iowa State has only reached the Final Four once: in 1993, nine years before Clark was born. She thought she could help lead the Hawkeyes there, and she did — twice. The Hawkeyes lost the NCAA Finals to two SEC powerhouses: South Carolina this year and LSU last year.
But on Sunday, Clark was thinking more about her overall college career.
“Whether it was the way the fans supported me, the way I was able to represent my state that I grew up in, or having my family at every game, there is no regret in my mind about the way things turned out,” Clark said. He said. “I'll be able to sleep every night even though I've never won a national championship.
“I don't sit around and complain about things that never happened. My mom always taught me, 'Keep your head up, and be proud of everything you've accomplished.' And you know, I think I'm really hungry for more, too.”
Clark is the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever on April 15. She was asked if knowing she would start another season in about five weeks made wrapping up her college career easier.
“I think that helps,” Clark said. “What better way to train and prepare for my next step in life than to play in the Final Four? I'll be able to play my first WNBA game here soon.”
“These moments will get me ready for the next chapter of my life, but also… [I want to] Enjoy this too.”
Iowa State has done just about everything the past two seasons except win the NCAA title. Last year, the Hawkeyes beat South Carolina 36-0 in the semifinals. This year, they beat defending national champion LSU in the Elite Eight and 11-time NCAA champion UConn in the Final Four.
“These things are really hard to win. I think I probably know that better than most people now,” Clark said. “To be that close twice, it definitely hurts. But at the same time, we were there. We battled. We took down some really good teams to get back to this point.”
Clark had 30 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists on Sunday. It started strong in the first quarter with 18 points, but South Carolina's defense got better after that.
“I thought they pressed the ball well,” Clark said. “When you get to this stage of the tournament, everyone's defense is good.
“I don't think there was anything we didn't do that could have really helped ourselves. It would have been nice to make some extra shots. I think they competed well on things. You could say rebounding [better]But we were doing our best. That's all you can really ask.”
Clark has done everything coach Lisa Bluder and the Iowa staff have asked her to do over the past four seasons. She leaves not only as the best player in Iowa State history, but one of the best players in NCAA history.
“She moved the needles, she did things that only Steph Curry would do, she shot where she shot, but she never lost her feel,” said longtime Iowa State assistant coach Jan Jensen, who has made countless trips from Iowa City. With fun and taste.” To Clark's hometown of West Des Moines to watch her play during the recruiting process. “I was hoping we could help her get to the title… but most people can respect her greatness. Maybe they won't call her 'the GOAT'… but she will always be our GOAT.”
Its list of NCAA records is amazing. She finished with more points — 3,951 — than any men's or women's player ever in Division I. She is the only DI player with more than 3,000 points and 1,000 assists in her career, for a total of 1,144 assists. She also grabbed 990 rebounds.
His 28.42 points per game and 548 three-pointers are DI career records, and his 201 three-pointers and 1,234 points for the year are single-season DI records.
“Whether it was the way the fans supported me, the way I was able to represent my home state, or having my family at every game – there is no regret in my mind about the way things turned out.” “I'll be able to sleep every night even though I've never won a national championship.”
Iowa Caitlin Clark
“These things are very difficult to achieve,” Clark said. “It was never something I was chasing in my career [or] Anything I set out to do. I have to give Coach Bluder a lot of credit because she allowed me to be myself.
“Whether it was the shots I hit, or the enthusiasm with which I played…she allowed me to be me, and I don't know if there were many coaches around the country that I could have committed to that would have let me do that.” . “I would never have had this kind of career.”
Clark said the surge in women's basketball's popularity has been exciting for her to witness and be a part of, and that will continue in the WNBA.
“This team came along at a really good time, whether it was social media, whether it was nothing, whether it was our games being televised nationally,” Clark said of the Hawkeyes. “No matter the sport, give them the same opportunities, believe in them the same way, invest in them the same way, and things will really blossom.
“You can see that in other sports, and I'm a huge fan of other sports. I try to be supportive as much as I can, and I think that's the most important thing: keep investing your time and money and resources out there, and keep it going. To show up for these people and give them opportunities.”
Clark also hopes the fans who flocked to watch her Iowa State teams will keep coming to Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which has sold out for every game this season.
“When I think back about my country [Iowa] “I know I gave it everything I had in my career,” Clark said. “Basically, everyone thought it wasn't possible for Iowa State to get to the Final Four once. But to do it twice? That's unbelievable.”
“Student. Incurable problem solver. Amateur baconaholic. Introvert. Infuriatingly humble music fanatic.”