Caitlin Clark’s Lasting Lessons: Finding the Silver Lining as a Memorable College Career Comes to an End

Bullets hit. The offense of Iowa hummed. And she had at her disposal the magic that the one-of-a-kind Hawkeyes star had called upon so frequently during the past two years as she rose to prominence in the crossover world.

Then it went. Not all at once but slowly by little.

In waves upon waves, South Carolina overpowered the Hawkeyes and their undeniable captain, eventually pulling away for an 87-75 triumph. The Hawkeyes’ point guard, who had a phenomenal range and ponytail, rewrote a substantial chunk of the NCAA record book and broadened the footprint of the women’s game. This was the Hawkeyes’ second national title game loss in as many years.

It is been an incredible journey. One item Clark made an effort to concentrate on following her narrow escape from earning the championship her home state had long desired.

“It’s certainly been a special year,” Clark said. “To be honest, after last year I was kind of, like, ‘How do we top doing what we did last year?’ Somehow, some way, every single person in our locker room believed. To be honest, this year was probably more special than last year.”

even if everything ended the same way.

In the game against South Carolina, Clark scored thirty points, making her career total the highest of any man or woman in the history of major college basketball at 3,951. More was needed to overcome the Gamecocks. After Clark’s 18 first-quarter points set a championship game record for the most points in a single quarter, South Carolina managed to do something very few teams have been able to achieve during her ascent: it managed to slow her down.

In the final seconds of the first half, guard Raven Johnson of South Carolina put at least five different defenders on Clark. Johnson’s theft of Clark close to midcourt resulted in a layup and provided the Gamecocks with some breathing room.

Clark’s explosive first quarter, in which she made five of eight shots, quickly cooled. The remainder of the way, she only completed 5 of 20.

“South Carolina is so good, there’s only so much you can do,” Clark said, adding, “You’ve basically got to shoot perfect.”

You also need to play practically flawlessly. An attempt that Clark and the Hawkeyes were unable to fully make. With twenty seconds left, she walked out to a lengthy, boisterous standing ovation. She gave her teammates and the coaching staff hugs. No one cried, not in public anyhow.

After then, sadness was eclipsed by pragmatism. The Gamecocks have a strong past, and Iowa made it to back-to-back championship games—a difficult feat for a team that had not made it to the Final Four since 1992—but they did it a year ago.

The women’s tournament became appointment television thanks in part to Clark’s journey to an unprecedented second consecutive NCAA championship. Two times in the past week alone, her performances have broken the previous record for women’s college basketball on TV, and another record is probably in store for the championship game.

The women’s competition has attained a degree of cultural significance that is usually only attained by men. On the day of the championship game, “Saturday Night Live” performed a spoof that highlighted Clark and company while mocking the relative unknown of this year’s men’s Final Four. Major League Baseball player Mike Trout arrived at the Los Angeles Angels game against the Boston Red Sox wearing a Clark jersey hours before tip-off. LeBron James saw that blazing first quarter and gave her another shoutout on X.

It is been a lot to process, but Clark has made an effort to accept her rising fame, often diverting much of the spotlight to her Iowa teammates and a tournament that is experiencing a surge in popularity.

As the three-time national champion coach of South Carolina and a Hall of Fame player herself, Dawn Staley knows more than anyone about the influence Clark has had with the Gamecocks. After the game, she complimented Clark for “raising up our sport.”

“Her shoulders were heavy and getting a lot of eyeballs on our game,” Staley said. “And sometimes as a young person, it can be a bit much, but I thought she handled it with class. I hope that every step of the ladder of success that she goes, she’s able to elevate whatever room she’s in.”

On April 15, the WNBA Draft will take place. It is anticipated that the Indiana Fever will run to the top of the standings and choose Clark first overall. Clark is aware that life is going to hit her hard. It will arrive in a timely manner.

Whatever comes ahead, she knows that this moment in her life cannot be repeated. She marveled at how things had changed so rapidly as she looked through photos from her freshman and sophomore years on Saturday night.

“I’m not blind to the fact that I need to enjoy this,” she said.

even while you are losing. Iowa was decent but by no means exceptional in 2020, when Clark joined the university. She was also. Both Clark and the redefined program are now. That is not common.

“I feel like we took it to a whole other level,” she said. “I feel like our program is in good hands moving forward.”