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We hope you are ready for a season unlike any other: testing, distancing, and bubbles, oh my! Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen, when it is going to happen, or whether anything actually will happen…but in the meantime we will try to restore some order with season previews featuring the best players/coaches/administrators/alumni in the country. We continue our coverage with Iowa FR PG Caitlin Clark. She won a pair of gold medals, scored 60 PTS in a game last year, and is ready to begin her college career this fall. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Caitlin about her ultra-athletic family and her expectations for this year.
You played for team USA at the 2017 U-16 FIBA Americas Tournament and 2019 U-19 FIBA World Cup Tournament: what did it mean to you to represent your country, and what did it mean to you to win a pair of gold medals? Getting to represent your country is something very few people get to do. Having the opportunity to be selected to two different USA national teams is a great honor/blessing. Traveling with USA Basketball was about more than just basketball. I got to explore the world in countries such as Japan/Thailand/Argentina, all while playing the game I love and representing the United States of America. It was a huge honor and learning opportunity for me.
In February 2019 you set a 5A state record by scoring 60 PTS/13-17 3PM in a win at Mason City: was it just 1 of those situations where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? It was for sure an “in the zone” type of night. It was a high-scoring close game so it was not just me running up the score. We were actually losing in the fourth quarter but ended up winning 90-80: not much defense was played! It was one of the most fun, fast-paced games that I have ever played in. I only attempted 28 shots that night, which was actually on the lower side for me in a high school game.
In addition to basketball you were an all-state soccer player in high school: which sport were you best at, and which sport did you enjoy the most? I grew up playing many sports but by middle school I was just playing basketball and soccer. Soccer was the first sport I played when I was a kid. Growing up I liked them equally but around fifth grade I started to enjoy basketball more and had more of a passion for it. I continued to play soccer through my sophomore year of high school then decided to give it up during my junior year solely because it was a spring sport and conflicted with AAU basketball too much. It was a very hard decision giving up something that I loved and have played my whole life, but it allowed me to focus on basketball and spend more time improving my game.
What made you choose Iowa for college? The main reasons I choose Iowa were the opportunity to create something here that has not been accomplished in a while, my relationship with the coaching staff, and how close it is to my hometown (which is only 1 hour and 40 minutes from Iowa City).
You play for Coach Lisa Bluder, who is the all-time winningest coach in school history: what makes her such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from her so far? I think what makes Coach Bluder so great is her ability to adjust to her players and implement a game plan that will be successful depending on who she has on her team. It is the reason that she has coached for so long. She ran a different offense for Megan Gustafson than we run now because that is what suited that team better and made them so successful. She is a player’s coach and continues to bring out the best in every team that she coaches. While I have learned so much from her in my short time here already, it is hard to choose just one thing. She teaches you more than basketball. She truly cares about you as a person and she takes that part of her job as a coach very seriously: that is what every player wants in a coach.
You are a 6’ PG: how much of an advantage is your size on the court? I think it is a big advantage. It allows me to pass easier, get off my shot easier, and allows me take advantage of a smaller guard that may be guarding me because I am playing the point guard spot and they will have to match up with me.
In June the team held its 1st first voluntary workout since the NCAA tourney was canceled last March: what did it feel like to finally join your new team as they stepped onto the court? I have been waiting since February when my season ended to get here so it was very exciting when we were able to do so. It felt really good getting out there and playing/bonding with my new teammates and starting to build that chemistry together.
The Hawkeyes lost 3 senior starters from last year including Big 10 POY Kathleen Doyle: how much pressure is there on you to come in and contribute right from the start? Obviously there is a huge gap to fill: not only in the point guard role that Kathleen played so well but also in the roles that Makenzie Meyer and Amanda Ollinger played. I think the team is very aware of the areas that we have to fill and that has created a lot of great competition in workouts/practices. Personally, I just come to practice every day and work as hard as I can to help make this team better so that we can be very successful during this season. I do not worry about the outside noise or pressure that people place on me. As long as I do my role and compete, that is what will be best for this team.
It seems like your entire family plays/played college sports: who is the best athlete in the family, and who will your brother Blake (who plays football at Iowa State) cheer for when you play the Cyclones?! Yes: a lot of my family plays or played college sports…which makes family events very, very competitive. I think that everyone in the family has a different opinion on who the best athlete is. My brother and I are each other’s biggest fans so even when we play Iowa State he will be cheering for me…just probably not wearing black and gold! The same goes for me when I am supporting him. We are both so happy that we get to see each other live out our dreams of playing college sports.
What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? I always have high expectation for myself and the team I am a part of. I think any athlete who has a real competitive drive would say the same. Taking this program somewhere that it has not been in a really long time is a goal. We have a lot of great pieces on this team and great coaches. Coming in and working every day to put it all together will create a lot of special moments in the future.