A couple of hours before breaking the three-pointer record against the Connecticut Sun, Clark openly acknowledged the claims surrounding her May/June performance. “It feels like a different season, honestly. For myself, I feel like I was a completely different player then.” At this moment, all she considered was her play since being selected as the No. 1 pick by the Indiana Fever.

And she’s right. In one of her earlier games, she scored only 9 points with 6 assists in a game versus the New York Liberty. For her, it wasn’t truly representative of her abilities. People noticed and criticized her for underperforming, with some even reducing her to a mere “effect.” But in the second half, Clark shined brighter than ever. It might be shocking for some, but not for those who’ve known Clark since her collegiate days. So let’s delve deeper into her stats and accomplishments from back then!

Caitlin Clark knew she had a deep immersion in sports since childhood

The 22-year-old Iowa native has always been in love with sports. At first, she wasn’t really sure about which sport, so she tested the waters in football, soccer, tennis, softball, and even golf as a child. But eventually, she was introduced to, what would be her ultimate love—basketball.

At just 13 years old, Clark started playing in a girls’ league that was years ahead of her age group. But that wasn’t enough to limit her. When she was in sixth grade, she joined All Iowa Attack, an Amateur Athletic Union basketball program. She was inspired by Maya Moore, who played for the Minnesota Lynx just a few miles away from her home. The little fan girl in her wouldn’t give up many opportunities to catch a glimpse of the legend on the court.

Aspiring and inspired, Clark soon entered the Dowling Catholic High School and stayed there for the next four years under coach Kristin Meyer. It was here that she gained immense recognition.

She knew domination was the key

When she was just in seventh grade, she received her first letter of interest for recruitment from Missouri State. In just four years at Dowling Catholic, she rose to No. 1 in the 2020 high school class. She was even a five-star recruit and the fourth-best player in her class according to ESPN. At first, under pressure from her family, she verbally committed to Notre Dame. But hadn’t signed the Letter of Intent yet.

Hence, with some room to reconsider and hometown ties shining bright, Clark eventually committed to Iowa State. It was the team’s up-tempo style and the development of point guards that excited her the most.

By the time Clark entered Iowa, she was averaging 33.4 points per game. Over the next four years, Clark would become the greatest scorer in NCAA Division 1 basketball.

With her 491 points, 78 three-pointers, and 152 assists, in women’s tourney all-time play she recorded herself among the Division 1 tournament all-time leaders in all these categories. She even made waves with an illustrious 17 triple-doubles. Yet, her thirst remained unquenched.

From Collegiate Dominance to WNBA Stardom

With more than 2,000 points (3951) and 1,000 assists (1144), Clark became only the third player in collegiate history to get close to those numbers. For context, she surpassed even Sabrina Ionescu, with 2,562 points and 1,091 assists, and Courtney Vandersloot, with 2,073 points and 1,118 assists. For her, excelling in stats became second nature. By the time she was picked as the No. 1 pick in the 2024 Draft by the Indiana Fever, she was already a leader in career points, three-pointers per game, career assists, three-point attempts, free throws made and attempted, and scoring average.

Well, she also has a wardrobe full of accolades. She’s a two-time Naismith College Player of the Year, four-time All-American USA WA, and four-time WBCA Coaches All-American. Is she done? Not yet. She’s also the 2021 FIBA U-19 World Cup MVP, a three-time Big Ten Player of the Year (2022-2024), and a three-time Big Ten Tournament MOP.

Unstoppable, basketball wasn’t the limit—she’s done wonders in academics too. This led her to claim the Women’s Basketball Academic All-American of the Year title twice in 2023 and 2024. In recognition of all her greatness, Iowa has retired her jersey, No. 22. With all this success in hand, Clark entered the WNBA.

Half a season in, Clark has become the first rookie to record a triple-double, broken the record for most 3-pointers by a rookie, single game assists (19) in the league, All-time rookie assists record holder, and a host more. With each game comes another record. But is it enough to earn her the Rookie of the Year title? Stay tuned to find out!