IOWA CITY − The Michael Jordan comparisons with Caitlin Clark will not be that far-fetched when contemplating how every contributed to an explosion of basketball reputation at their ranges of their locations in time. To not point out that Gatorade and Nike hooked up their manufacturers to each superstars.
So, why not yet another Jordan reference … because the NCAA Match stage is now set for the ultimate act of Clark’s “Final Dance” with the 2024 Iowa ladies’s basketball staff.
The reference is becoming, contemplating this week ESPN revealed the launch of a four-part, behind-the-scenes documentary collection that can profile Clark’s final season with the Hawkeyes (together with South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso and UCLA’s Kiki Rice), to be aired in Might – not-so-coincidentally along with Clark’s WNBA debut with the Indiana Fever.
“The Final Dance” was the 10-part docuseries produced by ESPN and Netflix, launched in 2020, that chronicled Jordan’s run with the 1998 Chicago Bulls with gripping behind-the-scenes footage. May we presumably see the Hawkeyes clutch the national-championship trophy in Cleveland, very similar to Jordan and the Bulls did after profitable the NBA Finals in Salt Lake Metropolis in 1998?
We are going to see. However, a method or one other, Clark’s ultimate days might be fascinating theatre.
The 22-year-old Iowa senior, essentially the most recognizable participant in faculty basketball in the present day (males or ladies), was requested a number of occasions Sunday evening about her private emotions getting into her ultimate postseason event as a university participant after studying Iowa could be a No. 1 seed within the NCAA Match and open play Saturday (2 p.m. CT, ABC, in opposition to both Holy Cross or Tennessee-Martin) at Carver-Hawkeye Area.
Every time, her reply defaulted to the Iowa staff, not herself. Clark did concede that earlier in her profession, she was nervous about what the NCAA draw would reveal for the Hawkeyes. As she’s matured, she realized that’s out of their management and understood that advancing deep into the Large Dance includes lots of components, and the seed quantity by a staff’s identify is not one among them.
“I believe (it’s) simply understanding how lengthy it was final 12 months and the way you actually should go recreation to recreation,” Clark stated. “After you sort of get out of the primary spherical, principally all people is a top-25 staff.
“You want somewhat luck, you want an excellent draw, you’ll want to be enjoying your greatest basketball. However I believe the largest factor for me is simply to get pleasure from each single second. As a result of that is the best postseason event in all of sports activities. You don’t have it one evening, you are out of luck. However in the event you do have it, you may string some video games collectively, you may put a particular run collectively.
“So, I’m actually excited, actually.”
Staff objectives are atop the checklist for Clark, Kate Martin, Gabbie Marshall, Hannah Stuelke, Sydney Affolter and the remainder of the Hawkeyes. However earlier than this “Final Dance” begins, let’s take a second to course of a number of the unimaginable numbers that Clark has assembled and might nonetheless attain in her ultimate days as a Hawkeye.
Factors: 3,771 and counting
That is the class that has introduced Clark essentially the most consideration, contemplating she has set three iconic scoring data over the course of this season, first passing Washington’s Kelsey Plum (3,527) because the NCAA Division I ladies’s scoring chief on Feb. 15 in opposition to Michigan; then Kansas’ Lynette Woodard (3,649) on Feb. 28 because the D-I ladies’s chief that features the pre-NCAA period; then LSU’s Pete Maravich (3,667) on March 3 as the highest D-1 scorer, man or lady. A 3,900-point profession is inside attain, maybe inside 4 extra video games.
Listed below are some extra of Clark’s scoring numbers value monitoring:
1,054: That’s Clark’s present season factors complete, tied for fifth all-time, one behind the 1,055 she scored final 12 months, solely 28 in need of passing second-place Maddy Siegrist of Villanova (1,081, set final 12 months) and 56 shy of breaking Plum’s single-season NCAA report of 1,109 factors. For Clark, the newest Plum leap might occur by the point she finishes her final recreation in Iowa Metropolis (presumably Monday evening in opposition to the West Virginia-Princeton winner).
28.35: Clark’s profession scoring common (3,771 factors, 133 video games) is oh-so-close to the all-time Division I report of 28.38 set by Mississippi Valley State’s Patricia Hoskins (3,122 factors in 110 video games, 1986-89). Once more, historic stuff right here, contemplating the high-level competitors Clark has confronted for 4 years. If Clark performs, say, 4 NCAA video games, she would want 118 factors (29.5 common) to finish her profession at No. 1 all-time.
31.9: Clark’s points-per-game common this season is barely forward of Plum’s 31.7 tempo of 2017 and could be third-highest of all-time and essentially the most in D-I since 1992, when Mercer’s Andrea Congreaves averaged 33.0. Hoskins owns the report of 33.6 in 1989. Just a little trivia: Iowa affiliate head coach Jan Jensen’s 29.6 factors per recreation for Drake in 1991 nonetheless ranks No. 12 all-time. Fairly cool.
3-pointers: One report down, one to go
173: Remarkably, Clark has already shattered the NCAA single-season report for 3-pointers in a season, blowing previous the earlier mark of 154 by Idaho’s Taylor Pierce in 2019. And the boys’s D-I mark, too, of 162 co-held by none aside from Davidson’s Steph Curry. (Clark made 140 3s, which ranks fourth all-time, final 12 months in 38 video games.) It’s extremely possible that Clark will register 200 3-pointers in her ultimate season. Take into consideration that for a second.
520: Clark’s profession complete for 3s is just 18 shy of passing the NCAA report set by Oklahoma’s Taylor Robertson, who made 537 in a five-year, 151-game profession that led to 2023. Regardless of some loopy assertions on the market, that is solely Clark’s fourth 12 months – and she or he would personal the all-time mark at her present season clip (5.24 made 3s per recreation, which equates to nearly 16 ppg on 3s alone) if Iowa makes the Elite Eight.
Assists: So lengthy, Sabrina
1,092: With 12 assists within the Large Ten Match championship win in opposition to Nebraska, Clark considerably quietly jumped two spots to No. 4 all-time in NCAA D-I historical past. The newest identify that Clark handed on the checklist is a well-known one: Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu (1,091), who owns the NCAA report for triple-doubles (26). Clark has 17 profession triple-doubles, No. 2 all-time, and Iowa is 17-0 in these video games.
Clark can realistically get to No. 3 in assists, a spot at the moment held by Gonzaga’s Courtney Vandersloot (1,118; 2008-11). She wants 27 assists to get there however is unlikely to catch No. 2 Andrea Nagy of Florida Worldwide (1,165; 1992-95). To be No. 1 in scoring and (maybe) No. 3 in assists in NCAA historical past is fairly staggering and provides to Clark’s case as the best faculty ladies’s participant of all-time.
Another Clark statistical notes
Iowa is 11-1 in Clark’s final 12 postseason contests, together with 6-0 within the Large Ten Match and 5-1 within the NCAAs. She has averaged 29.3 factors, 6.3 rebounds, 10.3 assists and 4.7 made 3-pointers in these dozen video games. …
Clark, a 6-foot level guard, is averaging 7.3 rebounds per recreation this season and has 944 boards in her profession to rank No. 3 in Iowa historical past (behind Megan Gustafson’s 1,460 and Cindy Haugejorde’s 1,067). …
Clark lately set the Large Ten profession report for made free throws (783), surpassing Purdue’s Shereka Wright (776, 2001-04). She is a profession 85.8% shooter from the road. …
Yet one more NCAA report is feasible. Clark has 1,234 made area objectives in her profession. That’s 26 shy of passing LSU’s Joyce Walker (1,259, 1981-84) for No. 1 all-time. Wouldn’t that be one thing if Clark set that mark in opposition to LSU within the Elite Eight? …
Bear in mind, Clark set NCAA Match data a 12 months in the past for factors (191), 3-pointers (32) and assists (60). She additionally turned the primary participant in ladies’s event historical past with back-to-back 40-point video games − within the Elite Eight and Last 4, no much less.
Secure to say, Caitlin Clark is not executed rewriting the report books.
And till the music stops for Iowa, her “Final Dance” might be must-see TV.
Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has served for 29 years with The Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports activities Community. Chad is the 2023 INA Iowa Sports activities Columnist of the 12 months and NSMA Co-Sportswriter of the 12 months in Iowa. Be a part of Chad’s text-message group (free for subscribers) at HawkCentral.com/HawkeyesTexts. Comply with @ChadLeistikow on Twitter.