“It’s Bittersweet”: Caitlin Clark Sacrificed Spotlight for Iowa Teammates on Special Day Through WNBA Announcement

Caitlin Clark is on an unparalleled rampage. The talk of the town is about to register her name in history by surpassing Pete Maravich as the all-time leading scorer. Clark also announced her decision to get drafted into the WNBA 2024 and highlighted that this was her last year with Hawkeyes. However, not many know that Clark did so as a sacrifice for her team.

Clark recently made an appearance in a press conference and shed light on her decision to move to the WNBA. While fans are surely excited to see the NCAA sensation in the WNBA circuit, the 22-year-old opened up on her thought process behind announcing her decision before her senior day.

What did Clark say?

Clark suggested that if she hadn’t declared earlier for the WNBA, then it would’ve been a question looming in her fans’ mind and that would have ruined the celebration for the senior day that will be done after the contest against the Ohio State. “Absolutely. I think that’s super important because you know those other seniors have given so much to this program… been some of my best friends and people that they need to be celebrated the same way that I will be and you know I think that’s really special. I don’t want that day… I didn’t want that day to be something all about like ‘Is Caitlin going to stay? Is she gonna go?’ ” Clark enunciated.

Read More: How Far Is Caitlin Clark From Becoming NCAA’s Queen?

“I want it to be just a celebration of what we’ve been able to give to this program, what we’ve been able to do but even for ourselves and our team being able to have some clarity and enjoy that day with each other and especially Kate and Gab people that I’ve started every single game with. They’ve been two of my best friends… two people that I’ve had my back since the day I stepped on campus so they deserve that day as much as anybody ever has so,” Clark stated.

When asked about her emotions going into Sunday’s match, Clark disclosed that she had thought about them. “Honestly, I would say so. And you know it’s bittersweet like this is I’m lucky that we do senior day after the game is over. I think that’s very important. But my main goal is like beating Ohio State like I think we’re all just super excited for another opportunity.. It’s a great opportunity for us to build momentum going into the BIg Ten tournament.” 

Clark will be celebrating her senior day after the game against the Ohio State. Other than Clark, Molly Davis, Kate Martin, and Gabbie Marshall are also in their senior years. As per Go Iowa Awesome, Sharon Goodman who is in her fourth year as a junior will “most likely” get herself admitted into a nursing school. Therefore, this regular season end will be a major one for not just Clark but a lot of her teammates, and the NCAA star does not want to take away the spotlight from them.

Though Clark has made it to the limelight for her gameplay, these four individuals have been silent supporters of Hawkeyes. While Martin has smashed 13 points per game, Davis has dropped 6.3 points per contest. Marshall isn’t far behind and has scored 5.4 points per game. On the other hand, Goodman has smoked 5.2 points per outing. Therefore, Clark has always been well-backed by their third, fourth, and fifth players throughout the tournament.

How’s the tournament looking for Clark & Co.?

Clark is also inching closer to the record and might eclipse the legendary Pete Maravich as the all-time leading scorer. Hawkeyes also have a 25-4 tally in the tournament and would be looking to win against Ohio State particularly because they had lost against Buckeyes earlier in the season by a 92-100 margin in the overtime.

Fans would want Clark to end her senior year with the record and also celebrate a triple blast by winning against Ohio State along with the senior day celebration. The next match will be one of the most anticipated games of the regular season this year.

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