WITH BREAKING NEWS. A BIG HAWKEYE STAR MAKES A MAJOR AND MUCH ANTICIPATED DECISION. CAITLIN CLARK IS FORGOING HER LAST YEAR OF ELIGIBILITY IN COLLEGE AND NOW DECLARING FOR THE WNBA DRAFT THIS YEAR. CLARK SHARED HER DECISION ON SOCIAL MEDIA JUST THIS AFTERNOON BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC, SHE’D BEEN ELIGIBLE FOR A FIFTH SEASON, BUT SHE SAYS SHE’S NOW READY FOR THE NEXT STEP IN HER CHAPTER. KCCI HAS LIVE TEAM COVERAGE TONIGHT. FOLLOWING THIS NEWS AND THE REACTION TO IT. WE BEGIN WITH SPORTS DIRECTOR SCOTT REISTER, WHO IS LIVE AT WELLS FARGO ARENA, SCOTT BERNINA DILLON JR. HEY GUYS, AND TALK ABOUT TIME. WE WERE ALREADY HERE COVERING THE GIRLS STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT WHEN THAT NEWS HIT. IT SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE. EVERYONE WAS LOOKING AT THEIR PHONES AND TALKING ABOUT IT. I WAS ALSO FORTUNATE TO BE RIGHT NEXT TO IOWA ASSISTANT COACH JAN JENSEN, WHO TOLD ME THAT IT’S A MIX OF EMOTIONS RIGHT NOW. CERTAINLY THRILLED FOR CAITLIN, BUT ALSO NOSTALGIC. AND I MEAN, WHAT A RIDE THIS HAS BEEN FOR CAITLIN CLARK AND THIS HAWKEYE TEAM. SHE TALKED ABOUT THIS DECISION FOR WEEKS LEADING UP TO IT, AND JENSEN TOLD ME THAT THE DECISION CAME THIS WEEK. CLARK NOTIFIED THE COACHES THAT IT WOULD BE COMING TODAY. AND THE TIMING IS PERFECT FOR CAITLIN. SINCE SUNDAY IS SENIOR DAY, THE BIG ONE AGAINST OHIO STATE AT HOME, CLARK, THE TOP SCORER IN THE HISTORY OF WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, SHE LED IOWA TO THEIR FIRST EVER NATIONAL TITLE GAME LAST SEASON. SHE’S BEEN EVEN BETTER THIS YEAR. HERE’S A BIT OF INSIGHT ON HOW THIS MAJOR DECISION PLAYED OUT. WE TALKED ABOUT THE PROS AND THE CONS, AND OBVIOUSLY EVERYBODY WANTS HER TO COME BACK. THAT’S IN IOWA FAN. BUT WE ALSO UNDERSTAND ADD THE PRESSURE SHE’S BEEN CARRYING IS GREAT RIGHT. AND THE NEW FRONTIERS I THINK CAITLIN IS WIRED FOR OUR CHALLENGES. SHE’S WIRED FOR EVERYTHING THAT’S ON THAT NEXT HORIZON. SO AS A COACH YOU KNOW YOU YOU’RE YOU’RE OUR JOBS ARE TO HELP THEM BECOME THE BEST THEY CAN BE. YEAH. AND JENSEN WAS QUICK TO POINT OUT THAT ANY OTHER TIME THIS THIS WOULDN’T EVEN BE A DECISION. IT’S JUST BECAUSE OF THE COVID YEAR SITUATION. THEY’RE VERY GRATEFUL AND THRILLED FOR THE FOUR YEARS THEY GOT OUT OF CAITLIN, AND EVEN MORE EXCITED FOR WHAT’S STILL ON THE TABLE THIS SEASON. IT HAS BEEN HISTORIC AND AWESOME. ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END HERE FOR THE IOWA HAWKEYES, BUT IT’S NOT DONE YET. REPORTING LIVE IN DES MOINES, SCOTT REISTER KCCI IOWA’S SPORTS LEADER SCOTT, THANK YOU. AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS BREAKING THE INTERNET. YEAH, SHE’S CURRENTLY THE NUMBER ONE TRENDING TOPIC ON X, FORMERLY KNOWN AS TWITTER CLARKE LIKELY TO BE THE VERY FIRST PICK IN THE DRAFT. AND THAT PICK GOES TO THE INDIANA FEVER, WHICH POSTED THIS TO X SAYING NUMBER ONE, A REMINDER THERE ARE JUST 46 DAYS UNTIL THE DRAFT. IOWA SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY CALLING TODAY A SAD DAY FOR HAWKEYE FANS, BUT SAYS CLARKE WILL HAVE FANS NO MATTER WHERE SHE PLAYS. THE NEWS COMES DURING THE TOURNAMENT WHERE CLARK’S JOURNEY STARTED. KCCI’S PEPPER. PEPPER JOINS US WITH REACTION FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT. THAT’S RIGHT, LAURA JODI FANS HERE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LAST GAME HERE AT WELLS FARGO STADIUM WHEN THE NEWS WENT OUT OVER TWITTER, CAITLIN CLARK TWEETING OUT THAT SHE’S GOING TO THE WNBA NOW WE HAVE A LOOK HERE AT THE STADIUM. FANS TOLD US YOU COULD ACTUALLY FEEL THE NEWS SPREADING THROUGH THIS ROOM WHEN THAT TWEET WENT OUT. IT’S BECAUSE FOR THESE FANS, CARL IS THE PINNACLE OF WOMEN’S BASKETBALL AND THEY LOOK TO HER AS AN INSPIRATION. ASHTON WHETHER IT’S ON THE COURT OR FROM THE STANDS. NOW, I CAUGHT UP WITH A HAWKEYE ALUM WHO IS HERE TODAY WITH HER SON WATCHING THE GAME AND AND ABOUT HOW THEY ARE REACTING TO THE BIG NEWS. WE’RE VERY HAPPY FOR HER. KIND OF SAD TO SEE HER GO FROM IOWA, BUT I DEFINITELY THINK IT’S THE RIGHT DECISION BECAUSE SHE HAS BROKEN EVERY RECORD. AND I THINK THAT’S THE WAY SHE’LL KEEP THE FOUR YEAR RECORD BREAKING VERSUS HAVING AN ASTERISK NEXT TO HER NAME. SO I THINK SHE DID THE RIGHT THING. AND TONIGHT AT SIX AND TEN, WE’LL HAVE MORE REACTION FROM SOMEWHERE AROUND THE STADIUM. SOME STUDENTS AND SOME GIRLS WHO LOOK TO HER AS AN INSPIRATION IN WELLS FARGO STADIUM.
Advertisement
Iowa basketball superstar Caitlin Clark declares for WNBA Draft
Iowa's Caitlin Clark, who is on the verge of becoming the all-time NCAA scoring leader in college basketball, announced Thursday that she will leave the Hawkeyes after this season and enter the WNBA Draft."While this season is far from over and we have a lot more goals to achieve, it will be my last one at Iowa," Clark wrote in a post on the X social media platform. She thanked her teammates, coaches and the thousands of fans who have packed arenas across the country to watch her and the sixth-ranked Hawkeyes. WATCH: Fans react to Caitlin Clark's announcement that she's headed to the WNBAClark emerged as a focal point for women's basketball, with her flashy play and 3-point shot, often from the on-court logo. Many players would have been benched for shooting from so far out, but Clark had the green light from her coach and she has delivered while also finding her teammates and hitting the boards.The guard, with one more year of eligibility, became the all-time leading women's scorer in major college basketball by scoring 33 points to pass Lynette Woodard and post her 17th career triple-double in a 108-60 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday night.Clark also broke the NCAA single-season record by sinking eight 3-pointers for a total of 156 in 2023-24. She now has 3,650 career points. Woodard had 3,649 points for Kansas from 1977-81, before the NCAA sanctioned the sport. Earlier this month, Clark broke Kelsey Plum's NCAA scoring record (3,527 points).Next up is the overall NCAA scoring record of Pete Maravich, who is just 17 points ahead of her.More Caitlin Clark coverage What to know about 2024 WNBA Draft now that Caitlin Clark has declared Caitlin Clark points tracker: Hawkeyes star continues to add to record totalCaitlin Clark passes another all-time great scorer. Next up: 'Pistol' PeteThis Is Iowa: Home and away crowds clamor for a glimpse of Caitlin ClarkThis Is Iowa: Home and away crowds clamor for a glimpse of Caitlin ClarkWhat shoes does Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark wear? This Is Iowa: Hawkeye basketball fans crowd Carver-Hawkeye Arena for a glimpse of Caitlin ClarkWhat to know about the 2024 WNBA DraftThe WNBA Draft will have a new home this year and for the first time in eight seasons have the space for 1,000 fans to attend.The league will hold the annual event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on April 15. Recent drafts, which were held in Manhattan, were in smaller, more intimate venues that didn't have room for fans.“We are focused on creating elevated events that WNBA fans won’t want to miss, at a time when the energy for the WNBA has never been higher,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “Last season resulted in our most-watched-regular season in over two decades, our highest total attendance in 13 years and set record figures across WNBA digital and social platforms." The Indiana Fever have the top pick in the draft for the second consecutive year. Last season the team drafted Aliyah Boston with the No. 1 pick and many think Clark is at the top of the draft board this year. UConn star Paige Bueckers, who was projected to be drafted in the lottery, has said she will return for at least one more season at the school. Stanford's Cameron Brink and LSU's Angel Reese haven't announced whether they will turn pro or come back to college for another year.The league will have the draftees visit the Empire State Building earlier in the day for a lighting ceremony and they will also have a chance to showcase their personalities and unique fashion styles on an “Orange Carpet” before the draft.2024 WNBA Draft order First RoundIndiana FeverLos Angeles SparksChicago Sky (from Phoenix)Los Angeles Sparks (from Seattle)Dallas Wings (from Chicago)Washington MysticsMinnesota LynxChicago Sky (from Atlanta, via Los Angeles)Dallas Wings Connecticut SunNew York Liberty Atlanta Dream (from Las Vegas, via Los Angeles)
Iowa's Caitlin Clark, who is on the verge of becoming the all-time NCAA scoring leader in college basketball, announced Thursday that she will leave the Hawkeyes after this season and enter the WNBA Draft.
"While this season is far from over and we have a lot more goals to achieve, it will be my last one at Iowa," Clark wrote in a post on the X social media platform. She thanked her teammates, coaches and the thousands of fans who have packed arenas across the country to watch her and the sixth-ranked Hawkeyes.
WATCH: Fans react to Caitlin Clark's announcement that she's headed to the WNBA
Clark emerged as a focal point for women's basketball, with her flashy play and 3-point shot, often from the on-court logo. Many players would have been benched for shooting from so far out, but Clark had the green light from her coach and she has delivered while also finding her teammates and hitting the boards.
The guard, with one more year of eligibility, became the all-time leading women's scorer in major college basketball by scoring 33 points to pass Lynette Woodard and post her 17th career triple-double in a 108-60 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday night.
Clark also broke the NCAA single-season record by sinking eight 3-pointers for a total of 156 in 2023-24. She now has 3,650 career points. Woodard had 3,649 points for Kansas from 1977-81, before the NCAA sanctioned the sport. Earlier this month, Clark broke Kelsey Plum's NCAA scoring record (3,527 points).
Next up is the overall NCAA scoring record of Pete Maravich, who is just 17 points ahead of her.
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
More Caitlin Clark coverage
This Is Iowa: Hawkeye basketball fans crowd Carver-Hawkeye Arena for a glimpse of Caitlin Clark
What to know about the 2024 WNBA Draft
The WNBA Draft will have a new home this year and for the first time in eight seasons have the space for 1,000 fans to attend.
The league will hold the annual event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on April 15. Recent drafts, which were held in Manhattan, were in smaller, more intimate venues that didn't have room for fans.
“We are focused on creating elevated events that WNBA fans won’t want to miss, at a time when the energy for the WNBA has never been higher,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “Last season resulted in our most-watched-regular season in over two decades, our highest total attendance in 13 years and set record figures across WNBA digital and social platforms."
The Indiana Fever have the top pick in the draft for the second consecutive year. Last season the team drafted Aliyah Boston with the No. 1 pick and many think Clark is at the top of the draft board this year.
UConn star Paige Bueckers, who was projected to be drafted in the lottery, has said she will return for at least one more season at the school. Stanford's Cameron Brink and LSU's Angel Reese haven't announced whether they will turn pro or come back to college for another year.
The league will have the draftees visit the Empire State Building earlier in the day for a lighting ceremony and they will also have a chance to showcase their personalities and unique fashion styles on an “Orange Carpet” before the draft.
2024 WNBA Draft order
First Round
- Indiana Fever
- Los Angeles Sparks
- Chicago Sky (from Phoenix)
- Los Angeles Sparks (from Seattle)
- Dallas Wings (from Chicago)
- Washington Mystics
- Minnesota Lynx
- Chicago Sky (from Atlanta, via Los Angeles)
- Dallas Wings
- Connecticut Sun
- New York Liberty
- Atlanta Dream (from Las Vegas, via Los Angeles)
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Iowa basketball: Caitlin Clark says she's heading to WNBA - KCCI Des Moines"
Post a Comment