Sports

The Caitlin Clark Effect

Adelyn Rabbitt, Co-Editor-in-Chief

April 19, 2024

Caitlin Clark

This year, an outstanding star arose during the women’s basketball March Madness tournament. Now a household name, 22-year-old senior Caitlin Clark has risen to fame practically overnight, going from just another collegiate basketball player to being regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Clark led her team, the Iowa Hawkeyes, to the championship round of the NCAA March Madness women’s tournament two years in a row, both in 2023 and 2024, putting Iowa on the map in women’s college basketball.

Caitlin Clark’s college basketball career has been a record-breaking one. Her biggest call to fame is that in her 2024 senior season, she became the NCAA Division 1 leading scorer of all-time, scoring 3,951 points, more points than all men and women in her division who preceded her. Additionally, Clark’s 548 completed 3-pointers and average 28.4 points per game is the most in women’s NCAA D1 history. The most memorable aspect of Clark’s game is her logo threes. She shoots three-pointers unlike any other women’s college basketball player, making 201 deep threes in her senior year alone, enough to break the previous record by 54 points. Continuing her legacy and marking her step into professional basketball, Clark was selected by the Indiana Fever as the first pick of the first round of the WNBA draft on April 15.

Though multiple other names warranted praise this collegiate season such as Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, and Paige Bueckers, the name that garnered the most attention was Caitlin Clark. Thanks to Clark and this season’s women’s collegiate basketball players, NCAA women’s basketball has gained many new followers. The 2024 NCAA championship game featuring Iowa versus South Carolina garnered 18.7 million views, outdoing the NCAA men’s championship game by about 3.9 million viewers. This was the most viewers ever recorded of a women’s basketball game and the first time that more people have watched the women’s final games than the men’s final games.

People of all ages, but specifically young girls, have begun to look up to Clark because of the incredible impact that she has made on the game of basketball as a whole. Clark has been recognized by one of the current greats in the game, LeBron James, who tweeted, “CONGRATS Caitlin Clark on becoming the All-Time leading scorer!!” and “If you don’t rock with Caitlin Clark game you’re just a FLAT OUT HATER!!!!! Stay far away from them people!! PLEASE.” Recognition from such an influential basketball legend further proves the extent of the impact that Caitlin Clark has had in her career so far. Due to the iconic reputation of Clark and her “22” jersey, Iowa University women’s basketball decided to retire the “22” jersey so that the number will never be worn by another Hawkeye. Now, when the number 22 is heard, many people will think of only one name: Caitlin Clark.

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About the Contributor

Adelyn Rabbitt, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Adelyn Rabbitt, known as Addie by most, is a senior at John Adams High School and Co-Editor of The Tower. This is her second and final year writing for The Tower, and she is very excited about what this year will hold. She values equality and education, as well as enjoying every moment, even when she’s in school. This marks her fourth year on both the John Adams Swim Team and in Mock Trial, with each season culminating in her team's participation in the Mock Trial State Competitions. In her first two years at John Adams, she also participated in track and soccer. In addition, she greatly enjoys going to school events, such as football games and other productions. Addie considers some of her biggest accomplishments to be going to state three years in a row with her Mock Trial team, “For Da Gram” (this year they will win the State Competition), taking multiple International Baccalaureate classes, and getting tickets to the Eras Tour to see Taylor Swift in concert (it was the best experience of her life). She also highly values all of the friendships she has made in high school and throughout her life. Addie’s now-graduated friend Jasmine Kazmirski says, “Adelyn is a very compassionate and accepting person. She is one of the most caring people I’ve met in my life.” Addie loves to be with others and is a very socially-minded person. The idea of college is feeling very daunting to Addie at the moment, though she knows that she will thoroughly enjoy it and thrive in that environment when the time comes. She has not made a decision on her college choices yet, though she is leaning toward choosing Indiana University at Bloomington. As for possible majors, she is considering many different possibilities and is too indecisive to choose one at the moment. The same goes for career pathways, though she has definitely ruled out anything in the medical field, due to her squeamish reaction to any bodily injuries or blood. Outside of school, Addie works multiple jobs. She is certified in CPR and works as a swim teacher as well as a lifeguard during the summer. During the school year, she works at a coffee shop called DeLo’s at the local farmers market. In her free time, she likes to read, hang out with friends, listen to music constantly, and go on long walks. She is a tote bag enthusiast and is rarely seen without one. She is very excited for her final year as a reporter for The Tower, being an editor and writing on topics that she is passionate about.