IOWA CITY, Iowa — Caitlin Clark stood at midcourt with her family and smiled with little emotion as her black-and-gold No. 22 jersey soared to the rafters forever at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Tears and cheers rose came from those in attendance at the sold-out arena and from those who knew her best. Clark was a generational talent who set the NCAA basketball scoring record, but she always was more than just a player. Iowa sold out 37 of 39 games in her senior season, and the 23-year-old Clark became one of the world’s most recognizable faces.
“The positive image that you’ve brought to this basketball program, this university, this state, women’s basketball naturally, is unmeasurable,” retired Iowa women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder said. “I’ve spent my entire career trying to empower young women. That’s what it’s all about. But you’ve done more of that in the last four years than anybody could imagine.”
“She’s truly generational,” said Iowa coach Jan Jensen, who was an assistant when Clark competed. “She changed the world.”
CC 2️⃣2️⃣@CaitlinClark22 x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/9EYvWCQOxB
— The Iowa Hawkeyes (@TheIowaHawkeyes) February 2, 2025
Amid the backdrop of a surprising 76-69 Iowa upset of No. 4 USC, it took almost 10 minutes to…
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