Debbie Antonelli had to be in Iowa City on Thursday night to watch Caitlin Clark make history. She is a basketball lifer, a starter for Kay Yow at North Carolina State in the 1980s who became one of the sport’s most respected broadcasters. Her journey to Iowa City wasn’t going to be easy, and Antonelli knew she was going to be sleep-deprived, but it’s not every year someone breaks the NCAA women’s career scoring record.
So after calling USC’s win over Arizona in Los Angeles on Monday night for ESPN, Antonelli returned home to Charleston, S.C., for less than 24 hours and was back out the door Wednesday morning. That trip included a flight from Charleston to Charlotte, followed by a second flight from Charlotte to Des Moines, and finally, a two-hour drive from Des Moines to Iowa City.
“I love the game, and I felt should be here,” Antonelli said Thursday afternoon from Iowa City. “I’m enamored by the whole Clarkanomics, which is what I have called it. It’s pure joy when you watch her play.”
Antonelli was one of the 15,000-plus on hand at Carver-Hawkeye Arena Thursday night to see Clark break the record — and score 49 points in Iowa’s 106-89 win over Michigan. But she’s also had a literal front-row seat as an analyst calling women’s basketball…
