Meet Caitlin Clark’s Father Brent Clark – the First Domino Behind Iowa’s Star’s NCAA “Effect”

Caitlin Clark is the poster girl of the NCAA tournament. She will probably achieve even more success in the next season of WNBA. In February she made a not-so-surprising announcement, she would be forgoing her fifth season of eligibility and would be part of the draft. The 22-year-old was recently honored as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball in February.

Caitlin Clark has always given credit for her success to her supportive family mainly her parents. From a young age, she played a variety of games namely – softball, soccer, tennis, golf, volleyball, and basketball. Her family never stopped her from playing since they too come from a sporting background. There was a time when there was no girls’ league for Caitlin to play with. Her Dad Brent would take her to play in co-ed games and was her first coach.

Her grandfather, Bob Nizzi, recalled to HawkFanatic when he realized Caitlin was destined for greatness. He said the boys would play rather aggressively and out-strength Caitlin unfairly. Her father Brent was her coach and subbed her out. Upon re-entering the game, Bob said Caitlin “went right to this guy and put on the best downfield block that I have ever seen and rolled this kid out of bounds and stood over him.” He reemphasizes, “She’s a five-year-old little girl.”

Who is Brent Clark?

Currently, Brent has been working at Concentric International for over 13 years according to his LinkedIn. He has been Executive Vice President since January 2023. He is a proud parent of three children Blake, Caitlin, and Colin with his wife Anne Nizzi. Caitlin is their second child and they were raised in West Des Moines, Iowa. Brent was a dual sport athlete at Simpson College in Iowa. In his college days, he played both basketball and baseball. From 1985 to 1988 he was a four-year letter winner in both sports. Also, he was awarded First Team All-Conference honors for the baseball team and Second Team All-Conference honors for the basketball team.

Being a former athlete, Brent says he sees bits of himself in his daughter.“I see a lot of myself at times in Caitlin Clark in terms of her passion for the game,” Brent said when he spoke to KCRG-TV9 in February 2023. “All in all, that’s really what drives her and makes her the player that she is.”

Read More: Caitlin Clark Channels Inner Kobe Bryant With Bruce Lee Tribute During March Madness Opener

Brent provides constant motivation to Caitlin

Brent proudly says how Caitlin’s achievements off the court are making him emotional. “You go out of town and the crowd is filled with little girls with ‘Caitlin Clark’ signs. I mean, I think that’s pretty cool.” He continued speaking to KCRG-TV9 and said how it is important to take a break from social media. “You gotta stay away, sometimes, from the social media. There’s always going to be somebody who’s gonna want to see you fall,” he said. “Whether you’re the President of the United States or some other high-profile person, there’s about 50% lined up against you, 50% lined up for you.”

Spotting her talent and being confident in her was all due to Caitlin’s never-give-up attitude. Bret said during an interview with WHO13, “She literally, I would say, would score quite a few goals in soccer and the same way with basketball,” he said. “She would pull up on the free throw line on a 6 or 7-foot hoop and would make it pretty consistently.”

Brent being a college athlete and being ever-present during Caitlin’s game helps her. He said “She’ll look to the stands every so often and I try to give her some reassurance,” Brent, who’s been to nearly every one of his Caitlin’s basketball games, previously said of showing up for his daughter. “I try to do the best I can.”

Caitlin Clark is living not only her dream but her father’s dream too. What the future will hold for Caitlin during the WNBA draft?

Read More: Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese: March Madness Stats Comparison Between NCAA Giants