As the athletics coordinator for the Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department in eastern Iowa, one of Grant Weber’s responsibilities is to oversee the youth basketball program. He’s been noticing a trend over these last couple of years.
“We don’t do numbers on our jerseys because they are reversible and (that would) add a lot of cost,” Weber said. “But we had a ton of kids at the beginning of the year ask if they could be 22.”
He said three parents paid for No. 22 to be put on their children’s jerseys anyway. “Luckily, they were all on different teams so we didn’t have too many Caitlin Clarks all on the same team,” he said.
Clark has become a household name across the country — a sensation in college basketball as she’s taken the sport by storm. When she’s not splashing deep 3s for Iowa, she’s starring in State Farm commercials. When she’s not casually flipping behind-the-back passes, she’s signing autographs. Her brand is synonymous with the sport from Iowa to Albany and back.
But as the Hawkeyes prepare for a Sweet 16 matchup with Colorado on Saturday, it’s the young girls in Iowa — Clark’s home state — who are feeling particularly excited. Jordan Bleil, the athletic supervisor for youth sports at the Coralville Parks & Recreation…
