The Iowa Hawkeyes failed to give Caitlin Clark the sendoff she deserved as they fell short to the South Carolina Gamecocks in the national championship. Clark did everything she could to will the team to a championship, but that loss is a regret Clark would have to be content with.
However, the mood in Hawkeye Nation is anything but somber. While losing the national title for two straight years was painful, they decided to celebrate the woman who’s become the most dominant player the women’s basketball game has ever seen.
They decided to gift her with the retiring of her jersey number, and she had the most wholesome response to the event.
Caitlin Clark is touched by the Iowa Hawkeyes’ gesture to retire her jersey number
More than 7,000 fans attended Clark’s jersey retirement ceremony, cheering to make sure she felt how much her game meant to the Hawkeyes and its fans.
She was obviously touched with the love she received from the fans and made sure they all know how much she meant to them.
Per Heavy’s Grant Young:
“I would say you’ve all inspired me as much as I inspired you,” Clark said, per an X post from the Des Moines Register‘s Tyler Tachman. “And you allowed me to live out my dream every single day, and for that, I’m forever thankful.”
Caitlin Clark: “You all inspired me just as much as I inspired you. You allowed me to live out my dream every single day and for that I’m forever thankful.” pic.twitter.com/uENIAO7c6E
— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) April 11, 2024
She also talked about the importance of the gesture, knowing that there have been plenty of terrific hoopers in the program’s history who wore the number before her:
“There’s been a lot of good 22’s who have come before me and played for this program,” Clark added, “whether it was Kathleen Doyle or Sam Logic. That number holds a lot of weight, far beyond me. I’m really grateful, and it will be a special day when it happens.”
This makes it clear to her—and the rest of the world—just how impactful her game was to the program and the future landscape of women’s basketball in general.
Looking back into Catlin Clark’s historic Iowa Hawkeyes career
Clark has been an unstoppable machine for the Hawkeyes throughout her four years with the program. Her career averages of 28.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 1.5 steals on 46%/38%/86% shooting splits shows just how unstoppable she was on both ends of the floor.
Her accolades would be enough to get her into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame if fans had their way. Some of her achievements include being a two-time Player of the Year winner, a four-time All-American, two-time recipients of the Wooden Award and Naismith Award, and a two-time inclusion to the NCAA All-Tourney lineup.
Fans expect Caitlin Clark to continue dominating on the pros, and they’ll be supporting her wherever her pro career takes her.
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