“I Can’t Say I Predicted This”: Caitlin Clark’s High School Coach Reflects on Her Inspiring Journey to No. 1 WNBA Draft Pick

Grinding with passion for countless hours, Caitlin Clark’s hard work paid off big time, as she distinguished herself with her outstanding performance and records. No other player in the history of college basketball has ever showcased the 360 degrees of skill as Clark has done. Perhaps there won’t be any for the foreseeable future. Turning herself into a household name, Clark carries with her the blessings of countless fans all around the globe.

However, there is someone near and dear to her, back home, feeling proud and constantly wishing her all the good things in her path.

Caitlin Clark, making her high school coach proud

In a recent interview conducted by TMZ Sports, Caitlin Clark’s high school basketball coach, Kristin Meyer, engaged in conversation as the former Dowling Catholic High School alumni went pro. “It was a pretty special moment. Obviously, I think we all assumed she would go number one but to actually hear her name called and see her come up on stage, made me think about all the years of work that she’s put in to put herself in a position to earn this opportunity,” she delightedly remarked, feeling proud to see her former student getting drafted.

Coach Meyer must have felt so good seeing Clark changing the game. “It’s been really neat. And for me, obviously, I’ve seen Caitlin play for a lot of games. A lot of practices over the past 8 years. So, I’m just really excited that other people around the country are getting to see her and, uh see her passion for the sport, see her bring people together to watch the game and just really enjoy the sport and enjoy watching her play.”

From high school to college and then reaching the WNBA’s doorstep, Meyer beautifully weaves how Clark transitioned through these years when she says, ” I think she’s the type of player that just loves the game, uh, loves learning about the game. Um, I’m excited to see her grow as she’s being challenged. You know, obviously she’ll be going against the best players in the world and I think she realizes that will be a little bit of a challenge, but she will adapt to it. She’ll find ways to be successful and I’m just really excited to, to see her play against professional women and, and see her succeed at that level as well.”

Clark’s destiny was already set in stone, with her walking the path step by step through the years. The IQ she holds in her game was not built in a day. Instead, it took years and years of practice and hard work. However, there have been more aspects to her personality than just her on-court dominance.

Recalling the same, Coach Meyer couldn’t hold herself back from telling what a kind person Clark is, “I always think of Caitlin as just being a fun person to be around. She’s always got a smile on her face. She loves the game, loves, you know, being around her teammates. So that’s probably number one. just the joy that she brings to a room or a gym. Um, as far as the basketball itself, she’s the type of player that, that sees so much and has such a high basketball IQ that I could give her more freedom. And so it was fun just having basketball conversation with her. She’s one of those players that, uh you can see exactly how she’s feeling and, I really enjoyed coaching her for four years.”

Clark’s basketball IQ has always been top-notch, however, it isn’t the only sport she played.

Clark, bearer of versatile sports talent

Although basketball has been her focus sport for recent years, during her growing years, the competitive point guard showcased all-rounder skills as she played softball, volleyball, tennis, and golf before opting for her current sport. As a high school freshman, she also played soccer and was named to the Class 3A All-Iowa team.

Interestingly, Clark still enjoys playing golf, for most of the week in the off-season. Clark will be playing her season opener against the Connecticut Sun on May 14, before her first home game against the New York Liberty on May 16.