Basketball

A mixed bag for Caitlin Clark in WNBA debut

by
Jane Wangechi
May 15, 2024

Caitlin Clark WNBA. Photo/People

Caitlin Clark was selected by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA draft
She played college basketball for the University of Iowa before joining the WNBA
In her debut, she scored 20 points in a game against Connecticut Suns

Catlin Clark made her WNBA debut for the Indiana Fever in a game between the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday May 14th 2024. This was her first game since she was drafted by the team in the 2024 WNBA draft.

The game was not smooth as she struggled in the first few minutes, as the Connecticut defense made it difficult for her to find the way, and found herself committing turnovers. She made 10 turnovers that were a barrier to her team’s performance.

Being her first game, she acknowledged that it was not easy but being a transition from college basketball to the WNBA, she is still developing her skills and there is room for improvement as she gets to play more.

Her performance and struggle was applauded by her Hawkeyes fans who still believe that she has the potential to play in the WNBA as the champion she was in her collegiate career and by attending the competition, they showed great support for her that will encourage her in future games.

WHO IS CAITLIN CLARK?

Caitlin Clark is a young American basketball player, who is 22-years-old and currently plays for the Indiana Fever. Her name became popular while playing collegiate basketball for the University of Iowa.

Caitlin Clark. Photo/CNN

During her college years, she played for the Hawkeyes and holds the title of NCAA Division 1 all-time leading scorer. She also became a fan favorite and achieved several accolades 9n her college career including:

A two-time National Player of the Year
She holds the NCAA Division 1 record for most points scored
She is a four-time First-Team All-American
Naismith College of Player of the Year several times
The AP Player of the Year
The Nancy Lieberman Award
She helped the Hawkeyes win the Big Ten regular season title in 2022
She led the Hawkeyes to victory in the Big Ten Tournament thrice

Her impressive performance made her become a beloved figure at the University of Iowa as she inspired with her dazzling play, and her record-breaking achievements brought recognition to women’s college basketball.

CAITLIN KEOUGH ON HER JERSEY

The American player’s jersey is written “Keough” on the back and she wore it in a specific game where Iowa participated in the Play 4 Kay initiative. This initiative is a campaign dedicated to raising awareness and funds for breast cancer research.

This honors the memory of the late coach Kay Yow, a women’s basketball legend. In Clark’s case, she displayed the name on her jersey as a way of paying tribute to a family friend Dan Keough who battled colorectal cancer.

As part of the Play 4 Kay initiative, some teams allow players to wear jerseys with names on the back that hold special meaning to them, in honor of someone impacted by breast cancer. So, Clark’s jersey was a special gesture to honor someone.

CAITLIN CLARK PERSONAL LIFE

Clark was born in Des Moines, Iowa on January 22, 2022 to Brent and Anne Nizzi-Clark. Her father Brent played baseball and basketball in high school and college while the mother world as a vice president of product marketing.

She has two siblings, Blake who is her elder brother played football for Iowa State University, and a younger brother by the name Colin who also plays basketball. Her career began quite early and she was forced to compete in boys’ leagues as there were no girls’ leagues in her age group.