5 Years After ‘Failed Meeting’ With Gino Auriemma and UConn, Caitlin Clark Has a Chance to Get ‘Revenge’ in Final 4

Iowa is looking to make this year’s NCAA tournament finals memorable, while Caitlin Clark is the one-star revolutionizing women’s basketball. A quality that distinguishes 6-foot point guard Clark is her ferocious competitive spirit. “I got picked on, I got pushed around a lot, but I grew up playing with the boys and against the boys,” she recalled, attributing her different level of skill development to her upbringing. As she reflects on her amazing collegiate basketball career, being rejected into her “dream college” still bothers her.

The fact that Clark desired to play for UConn throughout her high school years shouldn’t be shocking. Although she still harbors resentment for not being recruited by dominant UConn and head coach Geno Auriemma during the recruiting process, Caitlyn Clark now has plenty of opportunities this week at the Final Four to prove why she is among the top women’s players in the world.

Caitlin Clark stands inches away from seeking revenge

UConn’s Italian-born American college basketball head coach, Geno Auriemma, is the benchmark for women’s collegiate basketball, having led the Huskies to 17 conference season titles and produced numerous WNBA players. In a Mar 20, 2024, article, Clark told ESPN, “I loved UConn. I think they’re the coolest place on Earth, and I wanted to say I got recruited by them. They called my AAU coach a few times, but they never talked to my family and never talked to me.” Adding to the sentiment, “Caitlin Clark vs. The School That Didn’t Want Caitlin Clark is gonna be legendary,“ was posted on X by @mdotbrown as both Iowa and UConn rush to Final 4.

The emotional roller coaster ride of university recruitment is perfectly captured by Clark’s experience. She also shared that her favorite player was Maya Moore, a former star for the UConn Huskies. However, Auriemma decided not to offer Clark a scholarship. After verbally committing to Notre Dame, Clark ultimately chose to attend Iowa at the age of 17, still wishing UConn had contacted her.

Before narrowing her selections to two, Clark claimed she was approached by Iowa, Notre Dame, Iowa State, Texas, Oregon, and Oregon State. Expressing her strong hope and emotional moment, Clark said, “I’m 17 years old and I’m sitting in my room and I’m sweating my (butt) off.” “I’m about to call (Muffet McGraw). She is an intimidating individual. She was really understanding. She kinda knew. She was great. Then I called Coach (Lisa) Bluder.” In the end, everything worked out.

Up next in the Final Four

In the Albany 2 region, Caitlin Clarks’ Iowa is ranked first, and in the Portland 3 region, UConn is ranked third. For the first time in thirty years, Iowa is the top seed and will host the first and second rounds at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. On Saturday, they will play the winner of the Holy Cross and UT-Martin tournaments.

UConn would need to defeat No. 2 seed Ohio State and then No. 1 seed USC to possibly face off in the Final Four. Under Dawn Staley, who won two national titles with the Gamecocks and lost to the Hawkeyes in the national semifinal in the previous season, undefeated South Carolina is the top overall seed.

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