Caitlin Clark Declares For WNBA Draft, Prepares For Last Dance At Iowa

Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark will enter the WNBA Draft this summer. The Hawkeyes phenom will soon appear in the NCAA Tournament and said that her final college basketball season is “far from over.”

“It is impossible to fully express my gratitude to everyone who has supported me during my time at Iowa — my teammates, who made the last four years the best; my coaches, trainers, and staff who always let me be me; Hawkeye fans who filled Carver every night; and everyone who came out to support us across the country, especially young kids,” Clark said in a statement on social media.

In three seasons at Iowa, Clark has captured the imagination of countless basketball fans and has become the leader of a movement to elevate women’s basketball to mainstream status. With a handful of regular season games remaining, she in on pace to pass Pete Maravich to become the highest scorer in NCAA history.

Clark’s announcement will be sure to make this year’s WNBA Draft in April a national event. The first overall pick, which currently belongs to the Indiana Fever, is now the most valuable draft position in the history of the league.

Within minutes of Clark’s announcement, Indiana Fever made a flurry of posts on X, reminding fans that the team had the #1 pick and advertising season tickets for the 2023-24 season. The team’s conspicuous activity all but confirms that Clark will be the surefire top pick.

Clark’s future may be secure, but Iowa’s road to a potential championship this season isn’t easy by any measure. The Hawkeyes are ranked sixth overall, behind the likes of powerhouses South Carolina, currently 27-0, and Ohio State, who leads Iowa in the Big 10 standings with a 15-1 conference record. Right behind Iowa in the rankings, teams like USC, UConn and LSU, the team that eliminated Iowa last season, are also likely to make some noise in March.

Article by Patrick Moquin