Caitlin Clark Scoring Record Watch

[bballnut90]

After scoring a modest 24 points today, Caitlin Clark currently sits at 2978 career points. In the next 2 games she's expected to pass all time greats Chamique Holdsclaw, Maya Moore and Cheryl Miller in career points scored.

She has 21 regular season games left and at least 2 post season games lined up (Big Ten Tournament/NCAA), giving her guaranteed 23 games, assuming she doesn't get injured.

If she keeps up her season average of 29.5ppg, she's on pace to break Plum's scoring record (3527 points) in 19 games, which would be vs Illinois on 2/25.

She's on pace to break Pete Maravich's scoring record (3667 points) in the Big Ten Tournament or early round NCAA tournament.


Also worth noting, she's averaging 7.9 assists per game and is on pace to reach 1000 career assists in 17 games vs. Michigan on 2/17. This would put her at 6th place all time and she'd also be the first player to ever score 3000 points and have 1000 assists.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Also worth noting, she's averaging 7.9 assists per game and is on pace to reach 1000 career assists in 17 games vs. Michigan on 2/17. This would put her at 6th place all time and she'd also be the first player to ever score 3000 points and have 1000 assists.

That's something. On pace to become the leading scorer in history AND #6 in assists.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Jackie Stiles recorded a nice congratulatory message that they played on the video board when Plum broke the record. I would expect Kelsey will do something similar when the time comes.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I would say that passing Holdsclaw, Moore, and Miller would be called "having a good week."

 

[MilfordHusky]

On the off-chance that Caitlin decides to stay for a Covid year, she will set a record that would be unreachable.

Maravich's record is noteworthy, because he set it when freshmen were ineligible, the 3-point shot didn't exist, and seasons were shorter. He still holds the career record 53 years later, though Antoine Davis was only 3 points short last season. Pistol Pete's ppg record of 44.2 may last forever.

 

[triaddukefan]

Maravich's record is unbreakable in Men's basketball. Amazing that he did it in 3 years, and without a 3 pt line.

 

[bballnut90]

That's something. On pace to become the leading scorer in history AND #6 in assists.

She also missed around 8 games her freshman/sophomore year due to covid cancellations. If she had "normal" seasons she realistically would've had a shot at 4000 points, 1000 assists, 1000 rebounds and finish #1 in points and #2 in assists.

If she stays 5 years she'll obliterate a lot of other records but some will have an asterisk due to playing in 5 seasons instead of 4.

 

[bballnut90]

On the off-chance that Caitlin decides to stay for a Covid year, she will set a record that would be unreachable.

Maravich's record is noteworthy, because he set it when freshmen were ineligible, the 3-point shot didn't exist, and seasons were shorter. He still holds the career record 53 years later, though Antoine Davis was only 3 points short last season. Pistol Pete's ppg record of 44.2 may last forever.

Looking at LSU stats, it makes Iowa's usage of Caitlin Clark look like child's play in comparison. He averaged 38 shots per game, 14 FTA per game and still dished out 5 assists per night.

 

[Plebe]

On the off-chance that Caitlin decides to stay for a Covid year, she will set a record that would be unreachable.

Maravich's record is noteworthy, because he set it when freshmen were ineligible, the 3-point shot didn't exist, and seasons were shorter. He still holds the career record 53 years later, though Antoine Davis was only 3 points short last season. Pistol Pete's ppg record of 44.2 may last forever.

44 points per game is just an unfathomable average. Especially with no 3-point line.

 

[triaddukefan]

3,000 points and 1,000 assists is insane. I wonder if that has been done on any level of college ball... men's or womens... would have to check in the D2, D3 or NAIA record books.

 

[JellyBean]

What Caitlin is doing is history making for sure on the scoring side of things. What really impresses me is her passing. Giving the number of minutes she plays, the physical abuse she deals with & dishes out; her assists especially her assist to turnover rate is very impressive.

 

[awhom111]

I am updating pace on her chase of Kelsey Plum, the much less likely pursuit of Courtney Vandersloot's assist mark from this century, and Dyaisha Fair's pursuit of Ashley Joens's five-year mark after each game:

2024 NCAA Career Stats Watch

One of the storylines of this college season will be players chasing history in the record books. This page will keep track of progress towards those marks over the course of the season with the go…

wbasketballblog.com

 

[MilfordHusky]

Maravich's record is unbreakable in Men's basketball. Amazing that he did it in 3 years, and without a 3 pt line.

It's unbreakable, largely because anyone that good would likely leave after 1-2 years. Mathematically, it would be about 150 games and 25 ppg. That average doesn't seem out of the question, but such a player will move to the NBA quickly. The 44.2 ppg stat may have been matched by only Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Looking at LSU stats, it makes Iowa's usage of Caitlin Clark look like child's play in comparison. He averaged 38 shots per game, 14 FTA per game and still dished out 5 assists per night.

So, you are saying he touched the ball a lot.

 

[bballnut90]

Update: Last game vs Wisconsin, Clark surpassed Miller, Holdsclaw and Moore to move into 10th all time. Next game she'll likely surpass Iowa State rival Ashley Joens for 9th, and she is on pace to reach 5th all time by the end of the month. She's currently at 3,041 points.

 

[The deacon]

Update: Last game vs Wisconsin, Clark surpassed Miller, Holdsclaw and Moore to move into 10th all time. Next game she'll likely surpass Iowa State rival Ashley Joens for 9th, and she is on pace to reach 5th all time by the end of the month. She's currently at 3,041 points.

All other aspects aside for the moment, just think about that trio Caitlin passed in her last game: Cheryl Miller, Chamique Holdsclaw and Maya Moore, three of the best women's basketball players ever.

 

[TheFarmFan]

All other aspects aside for the moment, just think about that trio Caitlin passed in her last game: Cheryl Miller, Chamique Holdsclaw and Maya Moore, three of the best women's basketball players ever.

It's definitely impressive, but does anyone think Maya Moore wouldn't have scored more if she hadn't been on teams with future WNBA All-Stars like Tina Charles, Tiffany Hayes, Renee Montgomery, and Stef Dolson? Per Her Hoop Stats, Moore's usage rate (~30%) was nearly 1/3 less than Clark's is (~38%). There's no question it's a major accomplishment, but it's also not a coincidence the current holder, Kelsey Plum, was also on a team where she was a star among relatively average D1 players (and surprisingly, even her usage rate was only about 32% in her college career).

 

[BigTenGuy]

All the discussion about Kelsey's Plum's record is a good reminder that we really should be talking about Lynette Woodard's scoring record (3,649 points). Just as the NFL incorporated AFL records into the NFL record book (after the NFL-AFL merger), the NCAA should have incorporated (and still should) verified AIAW records into the NCAA record book.

 

[The deacon]

It's definitely impressive, but does anyone think Maya Moore wouldn't have scored more if she hadn't been on teams with future WNBA All-Stars like Tina Charles, Tiffany Hayes, Renee Montgomery, and Stef Dolson? Per Her Hoop Stats, Moore's usage rate (~30%) was nearly 1/3 less than Clark's is (~38%). There's no question it's a major accomplishment, but it's also not a coincidence the current holder, Kelsey Plum, was also on a team where she was a star among relatively average D1 players (and surprisingly, even her usage rate was only about 32% in her college career).

That's an excellent point, TheFarmFan, and you're kinda preaching to the choir (if a Deacon be in the choir).

When periodically we rank the best Huskies players of all-time, Maya often comes in third with many here, but I have her first, ahead of DT and Stewie, as great as they were.

She definitely benefited from playing with those you mentioned, but she also never had to reveal her true greatness because she often didn't need to... ironically, the same situation kept her from being a big scorer in the WNBA because she had a couple of greats playing alongside her.

Oh, my gosh, I'm getting dizzy trying to understand my own logic here... I'm sure there are those here who could help?!?

 

[Bone Dog]

That's an excellent point, TheFarmFan, and you're kinda preaching to the choir (if a Deacon be in the choir).

When periodically we rank the best Huskies players of all-time, Maya often comes in third with many here, but I have her first, ahead of DT and Stewie, as great as they were.

She definitely benefited from playing with those you mentioned, but she also never had to reveal her true greatness because she often didn't need to... ironically, the same situation kept her from being a big scorer in the WNBA because she had a couple of greats playing alongside her.

Oh, my gosh, I'm getting dizzy trying to understand my own logic here... I'm sure there are those here who could help?!?

It's simple. Geno doesn't coach people to win scoring records. He coaches winning teams, and he thinks scoring develops out of defense. This is a natural formula for spreading the scoring around.

 

[bballnut90]

It's simple. Geno doesn't coach people to win scoring records. He coaches winning teams, and he thinks scoring develops out of defense. This is a natural formula for spreading the scoring around.

Opposed to Bluder who coaches to set records opposed to winning games?

 

[nwhoopfan]

Opposed to Bluder who coaches to set records opposed to winning games?

Yep, and Washington didn't have their best 2 year stretch ever during Plum's Jr. and Sr. year. Wait a minute. actually they did.

 

[Bone Dog]

Opposed to Bluder who coaches to set records opposed to winning games?

Not exactly a fair response. Bluder has designed her team around a shooter and a scrappy defense, and she did an excellent job. That’s not how Geno recruits and coaches. He has different vision of the game.

It’s not a binary situation. There’s more than one way to coach. And at UConn the system isn’t set up to feature scorers. That was my answer to the question. Do you seriously think any different? If so, explain yourself.

 

[nwhoopfan]

And at UConn the system isn’t set up to feature scorers.

You don't put up 2000 points in a career without being featured to some degree. UConn has a fair number of those.

 

[Bone Dog]

You don't put up 2000 points in a career without being featured to some degree. UConn has a fair number of those.

Yes and you’d typically average under 20/game

 

[bballnut90]

Not exactly a fair response. Bluder has designed her team around a shooter and a scrappy defense, and she did an excellent job. That’s not how Geno recruits and coaches. He has different vision of the game.

It’s not a binary situation. There’s more than one way to coach. And at UConn the system isn’t set up to feature scorers. That was my answer to the question. Do you seriously think any different? If so, explain yourself.

I think UCONN's system is often set up to prioritize certain players depending on roster makeup. Like any coach, Geno tries to build a great offense considering the talent and skills of the players on his roster.

Some years that means very balanced starting lineups when he has ample talent across the board (ex. most championship seasons), but other years he does build his offense specifically around individual players if he feels that will best help his team. I think we largely saw that in 2021 when Paige was the focal point of the team, 2019 it was KLS/Collier, and in 2011 when Maya was head and shoulders better than her teammates and was called upon more to take shots and score. If the stars don't have a strong supporting cast, he rides the stars like any good coach would. Specifically looking at Maya Moore, she was never a ball dominant player or creator off the dribble, but still took 17 shots a game her senior year (including 30 her last game). The offense was clearly build around her to produce because Geno felt that was the best way to help the team win games. Bluder does the same, she builds her offense around what she think will be most successful, and for her riding Clark and having her be ball dominant has been most effective for Iowa's success the last 4 years.

 

[Bone Dog]

I think UCONN's system is often set up to prioritize certain players depending on roster makeup. Like any coach, Geno tries to build a great offense considering the talent and skills of the players on his roster.

Some years that means very balanced starting lineups when he has ample talent across the board (ex. most championship seasons), but other years he does build his offense specifically around individual players if he feels that will best help his team. I think we largely saw that in 2021 when Paige was the focal point of the team, 2019 it was KLS/Collier, and in 2011 when Maya was head and shoulders better than her teammates and was called upon more to take shots and score. If the stars don't have a strong supporting cast, he rides the stars like any good coach would. Specifically looking at Maya Moore, she was never a ball dominant player or creator off the dribble, but still took 17 shots a game her senior year (including 30 her last game). The offense was clearly build around her to produce because Geno felt that was the best way to help the team win games. Bluder does the same, she builds her offense around what she think will be most successful, and for her riding Clark and having her be ball dominant has been most effective for Iowa's success the last 4 years.

This is a more reasonable response. Of course, any coach has to be flexible and build around the talent they can recruit. It would be absurd to attribute any other opinion to me or any other BYer.

That said, we also know Geno recruits for a certain type of player — and by that I mean someone who’s willing to play team defense. And someone who knows they have to earn playing time in practice. And his offense tends to be structured and distributed to favor multiple scoring threats. This limits who he can get to come to Storrs but also has allowed him to build a consistent team culture over several decades.

To illustrate this, Saylor Poffenbarger gave an interview last year in which she explained why she transferred out. She said the offense was too structured for her taste. She complained that Geno required them to move in certain ways and to get to certain positions on the floor, and she found this oppressive.

A good coach can build a winning team around players who want less structure on offense and defense. But it’s less clear that they can build a dynasty this way.

All of this is to say that Geno’s coaching doesn’t tend to favor players setting scoring records. It’s not impossible — obviously — but it’s not what his approach is designed for.

 

[Plebe]

Clark's 38 points tonight (including 9 of 16 from 3) vs. Cleveland State moved her ahead of Ashley Joens into 9th place on the NCAA all-time scoring list, at 3,079 points.

She's now 14 points behind 8th-place Rachel Banham (3,093) and 448 points behind Kelsey Plum (3,527). She's on pace to catch Plum roughly mid- to late February.

 

[bballnut90]

Another 35 point triple double for Clark, plus a career high 17 rebounds. Up to 3,114 points for her career and #7 all time. Next game she'll likely jump to 5th all time, just behind the great Brittney Griner.

 

[uconnfan68]

This is a more reasonable response. Of course, any coach has to be flexible and build around the talent they can recruit. It would be absurd to attribute any other opinion to me or any other BYer.

That said, we also know Geno recruits for a certain type of player — and by that I mean someone who’s willing to play team defense. And someone who knows they have to earn playing time in practice. And his offense tends to be structured and distributed to favor multiple scoring threats. This limits who he can get to come to Storrs but also has allowed him to build a consistent team culture over several decades.

To illustrate this, Saylor Poffenbarger gave an interview last year in which she explained why she transferred out. She said the offense was too structured for her taste. She complained that Geno required them to move in certain ways and to get to certain positions on the floor, and she found this oppressive.

A good coach can build a winning team around players who want less structure on offense and defense. But it’s less clear that they can build a dynasty this way.

All of this is to say that Geno’s coaching doesn’t tend to favor players setting scoring records. It’s not impossible — obviously — but it’s not what his approach is designed for.

I watched some of Arkansas last week and she doesn’t move at UConn speed most of the time. I can see why she left.