Caitlin Clark: ‘I’ll be able to sleep at night even though I never won a national championship’

For the second time in two seasons, the Hawkeyes are the runners-up in the national championship game.

The legendary career of Caitlin Clark comes to a close without a championship. However, she believes there’s no shame in finishing in second place.

“There’s not a regret in mind of how things went. I’ll be able to sleep every night without a national championship,” Clark said.

“I think that’s the thing about everything I’ve done is there’s so much to be proud of. I don’t sit and sulk about the things that never happened.

“My mom always taught me keep your head high and be proud of everything you accomplished. I think I’m still hungry for a lot more, too.”

‘It’s been a special year’: Hawkeyes’ Caitlin Clark wins 2nd consecutive Naismith Trophy

Caitlin Clark added another Naismith Trophy to her collection and Hawkeye Headquarters was there when the Iowa star got it.

This makes it two years in a row for Clark – that hasn’t happened since 2016.

It recognizes her as the best player in women’s college basketball.

Clark got the award at a ceremony in Cleveland on Wednesday. She was the favorite going into it after her record-breaking season. Clark says it’s an honor to win again.

“Very cool to see how this has grown every time,” Clark said. “We got to get bigger and bigger rooms, so I think that just speaks to where women’s basketball is. I think it’s been a special year for women’s basketball and also to win this award is really special.”

Clark joins an exclusive list of just 10 players to win multiple Naismith player of the year awards.

“It means that you can come to Iowa and reach your dream, right?” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said. “I mean, when we’ve had Megan Gustafson get it, and now Caitlin twice.

It means that you can come to the University of Iowa and reach the very top levels of success and all of your dreams can really come true at Iowa.”

“Sometimes, in the past, you know, that might have been a hurdle,” associate head coach Jan Jensen said. “And I think that Megan winning it helped us get Caitlin. And then Caitlin just, you know, blew the door wide open.”

“Caitlin really does everything,” said Stanford’s Cameron Brink, who won the defensive player of the year at the event. “I think a little bit of everything. And that’s what makes her so special.

You watch her and you’re like she’s really a generational talent. So we just have to thank her; she’s brought so much to the women’s game and she’s just going to continue doing that.”

“She’s a prolific scorer, but her passing is basically her separator,” said South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, who won the Naismith coach of the year award. “And who she’s passing to is taking practice shots. These are like wide open shots.”

Of course Clark didn’t come to Cleveland just for the player of the year announcement.

Her and the Hawkeyes practice on Thursday as they prepare for a Final Four game against UConn on Friday.

Not a single basketball fan was surprised when the Indiana Fever selected Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft.

Everyone assumed that would happen, especially after the season she just had at Iowa.
What people didn’t expect, however, was for Clark’s teammate, Kate Martin, to come off the board in the second round of the draft.

The Las Vegas Aces selected Martin 18th overall on Monday night.

Martin was nicknamed “The Glue” while at Iowa because she always kept the team together.

She played great defense, rebounded well, and would always come up big in crunch time.

As you’d expect, Clark was thrilled that Martin got drafted as early as she did.

Clark posted a selfie with Martin on Instagram along with this caption: “Couldn’t be happier for you.”

Martin spoke to ESPN after getting drafted by the Aces. She told Holly Rowe that she attended the draft in Brooklyn simply to support Clark.

“There are a lot of emotions right now,” Martin said.

“I’m really happy to be here. I was here to support Caitlin, but I was hoping to hear my name called.

All I wanted was an opportunity and I got it. I’m really excited.”

WNBA training camp begins on April 28. We’ll find out then if Martin can make an impact.

Iowa vs. UConn.

Don’t look now Caitlin Clark fans. Social media is convinced that the Iowa vs. UConn Final Four game was “rigged” in favor of the Hawkeyes following a controversial finish in a thrilling back-and-forth affair.

The Huskies were trailing by just one point with less than 10 seconds to go as they moved up the court into Iowa territory, looking for the game-winning basket. Aaliyah Edwards tried to set a screen, but the officials called an offensive foul which resulted in a change of possession:

The controversial call led to Caitlin Clark getting fouled, and she made one of two free throws to increase the lead to two. Though she missed the second free throw, the Hawkeyes regained possession and were able to drain the clock for a 71-69 win to punch their ticket to the finals.

Unfortunately, the questionable call will remain a key talking point for years to come, even though this will go down as one of the greatest games in history. The NCAA doesn’t want to hear this, but plenty of fans took to X/Twitter and accused them of “rigging” the game for Iowa:

The Sports Are Rigged argument just gained a huge piece of supporting evidence. This is horrible https://t.co/RXQl2XEdTE

— ČØŁBŸ WÎŁKĘRŠÕŃ (@Colby_w23) April 6, 2024

With the victory, Iowa reaches the National Championship Game for the second straight year. A year ago, they lost to Angel Reese’s LSU Tigers by a final score of 102-85. Iowa, of course, would get a nice piece of revenge by eliminating LSU in the Elite 8.

Iowa will meet South Carolina in the National Championship Game on Sunday.

Caitlin Clark & Iowa Get A Chance At Redemption

The all-time leading scorer in NCAA basketball has a near-perfect resume. The only thing missing is a national championship, and now Caitlin Clark will get the chance to win it once and for all in what will be her last college game.

Clark previously announced that she’s headed to the WNBA, and the 22-year-old is a virtual lock to go first overall to the Indiana Fever, who own the top selection.