MINNEAPOLIS — Shortly after Caitlin Clark declared for the WNBA Daft, I was on the phone with a Big Ten coach when Clark’s name came up. As it often does. As much as her success on the floor is often inevitable, she’s also kind of inevitable in conversation with anyone in this league. But now there was an end in sight for those who had tried (and mostly failed) to contain the 6-foot guard from West Des Moines, Iowa, over these past few years.
“I bought my entire staff a round when she declared,” the coach joked (or maybe not joking at all). “But I was going to drink either way.”
Maybe more if Clark had opted to stay at Iowa for her fifth year.
In the retelling of this story, it doesn’t matter who that coach is because the feeling is so universal among Big Ten coaches. In a league that has been torched by Clark the past few seasons, perhaps there is no more unifying theme outside of Iowa in the Big Ten than: Thanks for the memories, Caitlin. Now, please, go away.
With Iowa’s 94-89 overtime win against Nebraska in the Big Ten tournament championship, her reign in this league is officially over.
What a moment. #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/vhK7B6TxoT
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 10, 2024
Some coaches in other conferences understand the frustration (and…
