After scoring 191 points in last year’s NCAA tournament — which broke the men’s and women’s scoring record for a single tournament — the expectations for Iowa’s Caitlin Clark entering her senior season were sky high.
As she rose to prominence last season, leading the Hawkeyes to their first championship appearance in program history, Clark did so while winning all the major national Player of the Year awards, including the AP Player of the Year, Honda Sports Award, John R. Wooden Award, Naismith College Player of the Year, USBWA National Player of the Year, and Wade Trophy. She was the first Big Ten player to win unanimous National Player of the Year. Clark also won the Nancy Lieberman Award for a second time and became the first player to win the Dawn Staley Award three times.
Pretty good.
So, it would be hard to follow that up, right?
Well, you’d be wrong.
Clark’s encore continued on Thursday, as the 21-year-old senior recorded 44 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, as No. 3 Iowa narrowly defeated No. 8 Virginia Tech, 80-76. She went 13-of-31 from the field and made 13-of-17 free throw attempts. It was another notch in the belt for Clark, who continues to form a legacy in not just Iowa City, but around the country.
And if they weren’t already — many around the country, including Virginia Tech’s head coach — have taken notice.
“She is a generational player and we are going to watch this young lady play for a very long time and she is going to play at a very high level,” Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks said, via ESPN.
Clark is different. There’s no question about that. And the reactions on social media reflected her tremendous performance.
Caitlin Clark is picking up right where she left off last season. (THREAD)
The presumed #1 pick for ‘24 as of now is averaging through two games: 36.0 PPG | 7.5 RPG | 8.0 APG
Clark has range & accuracy with a quick 1-motion shot. Giving up space/going under screens is a no-no: pic.twitter.com/qGLDtrBcxu
— Alford Corriette (@alfcorriette) November 10, 2023
Folks, this is what we call “generational.”
[ESPN]
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.