Even as one who almost certainly will end her Iowa career with more points scored than anyone who has played NCAA women’s basketball, Caitlin Clark has missed 1,250 shots. Usually, it’s a matter of being off by a centimeter, and it happened 13 times more in Sunday’s disappointing loss at Ohio State. After the game, though, Clark was inch-perfect as she departed the floor at Value City Arena.
I say this even though she collided with a selfie-obsessed Buckeyes fan who was skittering onto the court. That blow knocked the wind knocked out Clark, and she exited through the tunnel in obvious distress and with help from other Hawkeyes to advance toward the locker room.
If things had gone in another direction – by maybe an inch, maybe less, who can know? – the biggest star in college basketball might have seen her 2024 basketball season end almost before it began. The 2024 Big Ten Tournament would have been gone, along with the pursuit of another Final Four and possibly the WNBA season. We have seen lesser collision during the course of play lead to torn ACLs or broken bones.
Here is Caitlin Clark’s collision with the fan during the court storm. pic.twitter.com/QGPty8tDbA
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) January 21, 2024
Kenyon Martin was…
