“Honestly I can’t wait to not touch a basketball for a while,” Caitlin Clark had said following the All-Star game. Since the beginning of the 2023 NCAA season, Clark hasn’t been away from the court, and when the Olympic break arrived, it was all the Fever rookie could ask for. Sharing insights on the same, Indiana Fever HC, Christie Sides reveals how huge the advantage of the Olympic year has been.

Sides joined in with host Howard Megdal on the Locked On podcast and walked him through Clark’s necessity for a break. “This girl has not stopped playing since she started her college season last year right? So, the break for Caitlin… we gave them some great opportunities to get enough rest. Now she is also a worker, and so like I was always having to check in making sure she was getting the rest that she needed,” Sides described.

Clark averaged 30.0 PPG on 48.4% shooting (and 43.5% shooting from three) with an average game score of 23.4 in the two games she has played with two or more days of rest. On no rest days, the number came down to 5.5 PPG on 16.7% shooting.

So when asked how much of a difference the break, the recharge would make there, Sides remarked, “Huge.” She goes on to elaborate on how Clark is there every morning practicing her shots with the assistant coach, Jesse Miller, trying to get in the shots. “her frustration was also during that time with her shots weren’t balling but she just kept, she just knew, take the next one, take the next one,” she explains how Clark kept going, making it impossible for her to have some time off.

So Sides asserts the break has been a much-needed one for Clark. Mentally and physically.

“Honestly I can’t wait to not touch a basketball for a while,” Caitlin Clark had said following the All-Star game. Combined with the transition to the league, her no-break run certainly affected her game, contributing to the stumbling on and off for an overall Fever record of 11-15, aside from individual stats evident.

Now, having fully rested both physically and mentally, Caitlin Clark is ready to resume the season with a more energy and elevated focus.

Caitlin Clark getting in better shape

Having the blessing of a month-long break Caitlin Clark made the most of every moment. And, playing home run derby with her Indiana team was one of the many things on her fun wish list. They blew off the steam with some shots in the gym. The team was divided into groups of two, trying to score better points than the other one.

Besides that, Caitlin Clark did manage to leave her fans in awe as she will be stepping on the court with some transformed gains. A week before the regular season resumed, the Fever squad hit the gym, doing deadlifts while also not missing out on the fun.

As for Clark, she has gone through an impressive transformation to have pumped-up gains. Even without rest, Clark started all 26 games and ended up leading her rookie class in all but rebounds and blocks. 17.1 ppg, 138 field goals, 71 three-pointers, all and more have her name topping the charts. On could only imagine the strength a break could awake.

Indiana Fever return to the court on the 16th to face Pheonix Mercury, whom they bested twice in the season already. Could a well-rested team make it 3-0?

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger