Iowa’s Caitlin Clark undecided on WNBA decision, views it as a ‘win-win’

Caitlin Clark is only in the early half of her senior season, but she’s already shattered some records in women’s college basketball — and she could have another year of domination in the college game.

The Iowa star can exercise a fifth-year option of eligibility because she was a freshman during the COVID-affected 2020-21 season, which the NCAA didn’t count toward student athletes’ eligibility. Clark remains undecided on whether she wants to take the next step in her basketball career, but she viewed the decision in a positive light when asked about it by the legendary former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski on his SiriusXM show.

“It’s a hard decision because, in my eyes, it’s like a win-win,” Clark said. “I can go and live out a life of a dream, or I can stay [at Iowa] and be in college — start working on my master’s or start working on another degree and still play college basketball with some of my best friends. That’s what makes it so hard. Both seem so amazing.

“It’s cool, though. COVID allowed me the opportunity to have this choice. I’m just trying to live in the moment. It’s a big decision and I try not to get too stressed out about it.”

Clark certainly hasn’t played like someone who has been stressed out by anything this season. She’s scoring a career-high 30.2 points per game, which is 3.4 points per game higher than anyone else in Division I. She’s also shooting a career-high 48.1% from the field to go with her 39.7% shooting from behind the arc.

Those prolific scoring and shooting numbers have helped Clark climb up the all-time scoring ranks in women’s college basketball. She scored her 3,000th career point on Dec. 6 and has 3,079 career points as of Dec. 21, which is the ninth-most all-time. 

In addition to her monster scoring, Clark is averaging 7.2 assists per game, which is the eighth-best mark in Division I. She’s also averaging 6.8 rebounds per game, making her a consistent triple-double threat. Her 12 career triple-doubles are the second-most in DI history, and she’s just one of two players to record a triple-double in four separate seasons. 

Seemingly, the one thing that has avoided Clark in her college career is a national title. She led Iowa to the championship game last season before falling to LSU. As she prepared for her senior season, she previously told reporters that she wouldn’t let the impending decision affect her this season and explained what her thought process would be like when making the decision to possibly go to the WNBA.

“I’m going to know when I need to know,” Clark said in October. “I think it’s very similar to my college decision. It’s like I’m in the recruiting process again.

“It’s really not something I think about every day or let weigh on me. I’m focused on helping this team be the best they can be. The biggest thing is [that] I’m just going to trust my gut. I’m not going to do a lot of research on what’s better. I’m going to trust my gut and go with that.”

Krzyzewski concluded his interview with Clark by expressing how he believes she’s important to the next generation of young girls, saying she’s “going to be one of the leaders to help millions of young girls realize their dreams.”

“Not just in sports, but ‘You Can Too’ does not just mean sport,” Krzyzewski added, referring to Clark’s recent ad campaign for Gatorade. “‘You Can Too’ means in everything. What I told my wife yesterday about talking to a great player, is that I would enjoy it. I’ve got to confess I was wrong — it was fabulous talking to a great player. You made my day.”

If Clark opts to go to the WNBA at the end of Iowa’s season, it’s likely she’ll go to the Indiana Fever, which won the WNBA’s lottery for the 2024 Draft earlier in December, giving them first dibs to select Clark if she declares.

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