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As if I already didn’t know how good she was already, the No.3 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes megastar sharpshooting guard Caitlin Clark made history once again last night in a 94-53 defeat against Northern Iowa in which she recorded an impressive triple-double of 24, points, and 10 rebounds, and 11 assists.
It was the 12th triple-double of her career, becoming the school’s all-time scoring leader as well in the process with 2,813 career points passing the previous leader Megan Gustafson who had 2,804 as a Hawkeye.
Clark’s impressive performance against Northern Iowa comes after a 44-point masterpiece against the No.8 Virginia Huskies the game prior in an 80-76 down to the wire victory over the Huskies.
So why is Caitlin Clark the “Next Face” of Women’s Basketball? Well, first things first, she’s the greatest shooter of any women’s player we’ve ever seen, she can do it in a variety of ways from curling off screens and dribble handoffs to creating off the dribble to spot-ups.
Sounds familiar right? Like an old “Baby Faced Assassin” who’s still killing it in his 15th NBA season with the Golden State Warriors named Stephen Curry who forever revolutionized the game with his otherworldly marksmanship.
I already did an article on why I believe Clark is the female version of the legend Curry himself, not only due to her mesmerizing skillset but also with her showmanship after hitting a dagger in an opponent's face or a tough fadeaway in the mid-post so they feel her presence.
She does have her famous “You can’t see me” signature when she’s in the zone that leaves opponents shaking, and she is a cold-blooded killer who has that maniacal psychotic drive you see the greats have from Lisa Leslie, Diana Taurasi, A’ja Wilson, and so forth. All she wants to do is win and cut your throat out while at it.
Another important ingredient about becoming the face of a sport is are you relatable? Are you fun to watch? Marketable? Clark checks all those boxes as she was the main attraction last spring in what was the most-watched NCAA Women’s Semifinal ever according to Front Office Sports of over 5.6 million viewers which was a million more than last year's NBA All-Star Game!
Hawkeyes season tickets even sold out this year to watch the superstar Hawkeye because it feels like you’re missing something when she's on the floor and you’re not paying attention.
Clark is the clear-cut No.1 prospect for the 2024 WNBA Draft in what is projected to be a loaded class with primetime talent such as LSU’s Angel Reese, UConn Huskies star guard Paige Bueckers coming off a torn ACL, Buecker's teammate Aaliyah Edwards, and Stanford’s Cameron Brink to round out the top five projected picks.
Clark is the reigning National Player of the Year and unanimous Preseason All-American selection. Her triple-double Sunday joined her with Sabrina Ionescu as the only NCAA Division I player to record triple-doubles across four different seasons.
It’ll be a compelling next few years to see where Clark ends up in the WNBA as she’ll immediately come in as one of the most hyped prospects in WNBA history. In a league that has A’ja Wilson in the prime of her career and coming off back-to-back Finals MVPs at just a ripe 27 years old, as well as New York Liberty superstar and reigning league MVP Breanna Stewart doesn’t look to be slowing down amongst a host of elite names.
Don’t put it past Clark as she has proven to us each time she steps onto the court…She’s the ultimate competitor and she is here to take over now.