Caitlin Clark

[mudcat]

Des Moines has a population over 200,000 according to wiki. There must be something to do there. Storrs clocks in at about 15,000 by comparison.

U. of IA is located in Iowa City, not Des Moines. Even if you included nearby Coralville, it still would be well under 100,000

 

[nwhoopfan]

U. of IA is located in Iowa City, not Des Moines. Even if you included nearby Coralville, it still would be well under 100,000

Ah crap, I can't believe I did that. Oops.

Well...college kids probably find ways to amuse themselves in towns/cities of every size across the country, no matter where they are.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I didn't talk about UCONN last year because you specifically cited last season, not this season when you said:

"You don’t know what you are talking about. UConn was a team and had very well balanced scoring last year. Paige averaged 20 ppg but CW was right behind her at 16.5 ppg, Ono averaged 12 ppg, and EW averaged 10 ppg IIRC. Iowa or even DePaul doesn’t come close to that kind of scoring spread, both are one player teams and their WL records reflect that, this year or last year."

If you look at Iowa stats this year, you're nuts if you can conclude theyre a 1 man team. They literally have another player who is top 20 in the country in PPG, and a third player in double figures.


And all of those players cited were recruited 20+ years ago. Have any other more current examples? I'll give you Makurat, but she essentially played 1 season and transferred when it was clear she was pushed down on the depth chart. Id also say "diamond" is a generous term too considering her impact. Even if you count her, 1 player in 20 years doesn't validate that claim IMO.

They are a one man team, that’s why Michigan was easily blowing them out last night, until the 4th quarter when Clark went crazy and scored 25 points in the 4th quarter to narrow the margin of defeat for Iowa. Iowa’s almost as bad as Tennessee but at least they have Clark.

 

[bballnut90]

They are a one man team, that’s why Michigan was easily blowing them out last night, until the 4th quarter when Clark went crazy and scored 25 points in the 4th quarter to narrow the margin of defeat for Iowa. Iowa’s almost as bad as Tennessee but at least they have Clark.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Hey, good one. She even looks like Pat Summitt.

 

[Fishy]

Watched Clark and was absolutely stunned!!! She's the best shooter I've seen since Pistol Pete Maravich half a century ago. Astonishing!!! Not sure which is the better player- Paige or Clark. Paige has better coaching and probably a better supporting cast. Michigan survived with great free throw shooting down the stretch. But I've never seen anyone in the women's game, either in the pros or in college, do what Caitlin Clark just did. Not even Diana Taurasi.

Seriously.

She shoots 28% from three.

Maybe watch more than a highlight reel.

 

[Bjbod]

My analogy which I think I gave before

1) Caitlin is like an intergalactic Blockbuster movie. Sure to thrill
2) Paige is like a beautifully choreographed and complex ballet. A true pleasure to those who can appreciate it.

Paige cannot and/or would not want to do some of the things Caitlin does like going 3 v 1 into combat and make a large number of contested shots or drive hard into a clogged middle but look for easier answers

The world can hold both types

On the other hand, the question I think is more interesting is how each would fare in the others situation

1) Geno would work hard on getting Caitlin to take the highest percentage shots and with more talent around her, I could see her morph into a paige type player with the same level of success getting all her teammates involved. I do not think Caitlin is a real 'me; player like an Arike but is forced into it by circumstance

2) At Iowa with less talent, Paige would have to be more dominant than she is at UConn but I think Paige would be able to develop better synergy with more players than Caitlin is doing where she and Czinano work the 2 man game. I also think Paige would be the better defender although Caitlin is improving quite a bit in that although the defensive effort is not always there. Perhaps a function of going at the highest speed on offense?

Anyway, just idle personal speculation

desmoinesregister

This full replica of our printed product provides you the newspaper as you know and love it from the convenience of the web.

desmoinesregister-ia.newsmemory.com

Wow, this link has really blown up. Lots of really good posts, but also a lot of venom...not what I'm used to seeing on this board.

This article (if the link works) came out in yesterday's Des Moines Register. A really thorough insight on her history and what makes her tick.

My kids' high school competed with Caitlin's. We played Dowling Catholic 5 times while she was there, and amazingly we won 4 of those games. I'm embarassed to say I'm a bit of an Iowa girls basketball geek, so I've seen ALOT of games. While Caitlin was a senior I went on record as saying I'd prefer Ashley Joens (now at Iowa State) over Caitlin for a lot of the same perceived reasons she's being dismissed in this thread: not a good teammate, taking too many shots, not winning the big game, etc. In retrospect, my reasons proved to be wrong.

Caitlin's basketball IQ is very high, and has been for a long time. If your ultimate goal is to win a game you want the ball in the hands of the best player most of the time. If you have multiple players that are highly talented, the ball will be spread around more equitably. If not, then the strategy that has the best chance of working may involve one player dominating possessions. Michigan's roster is more talented than Iowa's overall, Iowa was down 2 starters (Michigan was down one as well), but Iowa only had 7 players even dressed to play. They had girls starting against the #6 team in the country that were role players at best. They were getting their butts kicked but had no choice but to keep playing...there were only 2 others on the bench. Clark knew the only chance they had at winning was to shoulder the load herself. This wasn't a selfish decision, it was an objective one.

Her teammates love her, they aren't jealous of or resent her. The display Sunday was newsworthy and highlight reel worthy, but it wasn't self-serving. It was just someone trying her best to win. With a regular lineup and a full bench we never would have been able to witness the craziness we saw Sunday night. Let's just enjoy it and revel in it, not criticize it.

Lots of great posts here on the Boneyard...keep it up!

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Tell you this much....I wouldn't want to be in Michigan's bracket. Pick your poison. They can score at all positions...including the bench. And Phelia...might be the steal of the class.

They're playing very well. It wouldn't shock me if they ended up a 1 seed since between Louisville and NC State, one will lose again, if not both.

 

[Dillon77]

They are a one man team, that’s why Michigan was easily blowing them out last night, until the 4th quarter when Clark went crazy and scored 25 points in the 4th quarter to narrow the margin of defeat for Iowa. Iowa’s almost as bad as Tennessee but at least they have Clark.

I've joined this thread on the later end, but I've been following both Ms. Clark and Iowa for a number of years (full disclosure: ND lost out on CC at the end of the recruiting process, but I'm still a big admirer of her and Lisa Bluder, her coach).

That said, have you been reading any of the replies @bballnut90 has written? If so, you'd know that your comment about Iowa being a one-man team is not accurate. Maybe you're trying to turn a phrase, but tell that to Monika Czinano, who was only a first-team Big Ten choice last year and is having another respectable performance again this season. Two of Iowa's problems yesterday were not having a few starters and only having 7 players available.

There's been enough written on their roster, but I just wanted to bring up there's another very fine player on that team. Here's her bio for you to peruse...

Monika Czinano

hawkeyesports.com

 

[my2cents]

Ah crap, I can't believe I did that. Oops.

Well...college kids probably find ways to amuse themselves in towns/cities of every size across the country, no matter where they are.

All they need is a liquor store.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Watched Clark and was absolutely stunned!!! She's the best shooter I've seen since Pistol Pete Maravich half a century ago. Astonishing!!! Not sure which is the better player- Paige or Clark. Paige has better coaching and probably a better supporting cast. Michigan survived with great free throw shooting down the stretch. But I've never seen anyone in the women's game, either in the pros or in college, do what Caitlin Clark just did. Not even Diana Taurasi.

Seriously.

Taurasi won a National Championship as a junior, and again as a senior leading some inexperienced freshman the first year and some learning sophmores the following year, beating Pat Summitt’s Tennessee Volunteers both times. Let’s see Caitlin Clark put two tough NC’s on her back then come talk to me. How quickly people forget. Geez

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Those were fun highlights of her taking very ill advised shots in a blowout loss during what has been a disappointing season for her and her team imo.

I enjoyed watching her with the national team but as someone that ranked Iowa higher than I should for quite awhile I'm a little blown away by the surge in appreciation for her based on this performance.

She was a more deserving center of attention last year when she was playing better, but there was only room for one and that one was in Stoors, media decreed.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

You are correct that not all 15 UCONN players were coveted by all 300+ programs in the country, but I think the you missed the main point that @Moogs was making, which is that UCONN has far and away more talent than Iowa does, so it isn't an apples to apples comparison. (Even though as pointed out above, both teams had similar balance last season despite your claim--worth noting, you chose not to reply to that post.)

Also, you claim Geno has "always recruited diamonds in the rough", who are some of these players you speak of?

Diamonds in the rough, lol. Ok.

 

[DefenseBB]

OMG, why can't anyone compliment and like another player without posters feel like another player is being disrespected?

Caitlin Clark is a phenomenal player. Nothing in her game screams selfish. Other than her current pedestrian 3 pt shooting percentage of 30.1%, all her other stats are awesome. To wit:

• She's averaging 27.4 pts per game
• Shoots 45.7 percent from the floor
• She averages 7.2 free throws per game
• She makes 89.4% of her FT
• She averages 8.2 rebounds a game AS A GUARD.
• She averages 1.3 steals per game
• And she leads the country at 8.2 assists per game. How is any of this selfish?

Liking Caitlin Clark does not diminish Paige Bueckers in the least. It does not mean Paige is less than Clark just because you say a positive comment about Clark. She is very exciting to watch and she operates within an up- tempo style of play, creating many more opportunities than most other teams. Lisa Bluder has done a very good job at Iowa and her recruiting is getting better. Iowa is challenged on the defensive side of the ball, including Ms. Clark who has room for improvement. But the same could be said for any other POY candidate who has some weakness.

All in all, I really like watching Caitlin play more than any other player on any other team other than UCONN. Anyone who doesn't see how good Caitlin is, is either just being a fanatic of their team or is not really understanding how her game and the system she operates within is structured. She is worthy of all the accolades and press she gets. Stop feeling other UConn players or past UConn greats are slighted by complimenting this fine young player.

Rant over, continue as you were.

 

[nwhoopfan]

All they need is a liquor store.

Yeah, there's that. Sometimes they get more creative though.

 

[TheFarmFan]

I think it's probably the case that Clark has the highest combination of motor, grit, and talent in D1 WCBB right now. I think there are players on some teams who have more of each (motor, grit, or talent), but she is kind of the nexus of all three.

I suspect a bit of the skepticism is that buffo states like that don't usually translate into a really effective team. In theory, the person with the most assists shouldn't also have the most rebounds, points, trips to the line, and steals. That's just not an effective allocation of playing time.

And I suspect what the homers are reacting to is that Bueckers has almost as much motor, about as much grit, and arguably more talent, and does that all while getting her teammates more involved. So when folks start saying "Cait the Great!," it's natural to hear an implicit (and unfavorable) comparison being drawn to Bueckers.

I think the counter to that is, well, Clark doesn't have a starting line-up of fellow top 5 recruits to play off of. And it's a fair point.

I guess in the end I'm coming to the same place I came to with Sabrina Ionescu, and, to a lesser degree, Kelsey Plum. Could be more effectively deployed, and probably has a ceiling on how far her game will go, but really fun to watch, and great for the women's game to generate more attention and respect.

 

[triaddukefan]

More evidence of how much attention that Clark is gathering. Part of the local sports news tonight had a segment about Clark.. and showed some highlights from the Michigan game. And this is the local news in Greensboro/High Point... not Cedar Rapids or Dubuque. The sportscaster was raving about her and her abilities and all around game. On the Dan Patrick Show last week.. they talked about her as well... they RARELY talk about women's basketball...

 

[DefenseBB]

More evidence of how much attention that Clark is gathering. Part of the local sports news tonight had a segment about Clark.. and showed some highlights from the Michigan game. And this is the local news in Greensboro/High Point... not Cedar Rapids or Dubuque. The sportscaster was raving about her and her abilities and all around game. On the Dan Patrick Show last week.. they talked about her as well... they RARELY talk about women's basketball...

I am afraid to "Like" your post out of fear that others might think I am slighting @Plebe because as we know, you can only "Like" one or the other...we can't possible like 2 forum posters!

 

[eebmg]

So where is her NIL deal? I am hoping Paige's popularity with the corporate world spreads to some other top performers ? Does she have a social media presence?

 

[mbr33ct]

You don’t know what you are talking about. UConn was a team and had very well balanced scoring last year. Paige averaged 20 ppg but CW was right behind her at 16.5 ppg, Ono averaged 12 ppg, and EW averaged 10 ppg IIRC. Iowa or even DePaul doesn’t come close to that kind of scoring spread, both are one player teams and their WL records reflect that, this year or last year.

Do your homework before making such claims:

Iowa last year had:
Clark: 26.6 PPG
Czinano: 19.3 PPG
Warnock: 12.0 PPG
Marshall: 9.1 PPG
Martin: 7.0 PPG

UCONN had:
Bueckers: 20.0 PPG
Williams: 16.3 PPG
ONO: 12.0 PPG
Edwards: 10.7 PPG
Westbrook: 9.4 PPG

I want to get in on this action as well. I'm here on behalf of DePaul.

Last year DePaul's top 5 players (scoring)

Morris: 19.3 PPG
Held: 16.6 PPG
Church: 13.3 PPG
Bekelja: 12.5 PPG
Rogers: 9.5 PPG

I'm not a math guy but I know when a number is higher than another. To these aged eyes seems like DePaul had better top 5 point scorers than UConn last year. Does @CONN78SEJ even look at the other teams stats before typing or was he looking in a mirror when he was practicing "You don't know what you are talking about".

 

[cancontent]

So where is her NIL deal? I am hoping Paige's popularity with the corporate world spreads to some other top performers ? Does she have a social media presence?

She signed one with a company called Hy-Vee. I'm not familiar with the name being from north of the border, but I'm assuming it's a popular business in the Iowa region. I'm sure more are in the works, especially with the increased attention she has been receiving.

Caitlin Clark inks NIL deal with Hy-vee

Iowa star basketball player Caitlin Clark is now the first collegiate athlete to sign a sponsorship deal with Hy-Vee. Clark and the grocery store chain announced the new NIL (Name, image, & likeness) deal Wednesday at the Crosspark Road Hy-Vee in Coralville. The West Des Moines native this week...

cbs2iowa.com

 

[cancontent]

It's interesting to see how polarizing this topic has gotten with respect to Clark. From my view, the attention she's getting (negative / positive) is no different than what happens to a great athlete who becomes popular.

We see it in every sport and with all the big names. For as many people who love Michael Jordan, there are those who will poke holes at his legacy. Tom Brady will be loved and hated depending on the NFL fan base forever. Being Bills fan, he's be the latter, but I don't begrudge his talent and success. The same can be said about Paige with a lot of the crud last year when there were those who thought she got way too much attention.

I think Clark is an amazing player, but there are things I like and don't like about her game. I'm sure there are others who look at it from a similar perspective.

 

[eebmg]

She signed one with a company called Hy-Vee. I'm not familiar with the name being from north of the border, but I'm assuming it's a popular business in the Iowa region. I'm sure more are in the works, especially with the increased attention she has been receiving.

Caitlin Clark inks NIL deal with Hy-vee

Iowa star basketball player Caitlin Clark is now the first collegiate athlete to sign a sponsorship deal with Hy-Vee. Clark and the grocery store chain announced the new NIL (Name, image, & likeness) deal Wednesday at the Crosspark Road Hy-Vee in Coralville. The West Des Moines native this week...

cbs2iowa.com

Good. I would hate for it to be a Paige / Azzi Phenomenon alone. Would stir up too much jealousy and worse.

 

[cancontent]

Good. I would hate for it to be a Paige / Azzi Phenomenon alone. Would stir up too much jealousy and worse.

It's not fortunately. There are quite a few players who have inked NIL deals throughout the NCAAW.

Just a few off the fop of my head:

1) Onu from UCLA has a NIL deal with a crypto company called FTX.
2) Angel Reese and Naz Hillmon have partnered with Outback Steakhouse.
3) Aliyah Boston has one with Bojangles (hope I have that right - going off of memory).
4) There were those twin sisters who also signed a deal with a mobile company once the NIL deal was made official.

The news about these deals is what's lacking. Unless you're paying attention to local reports, or fine this kind of stuff interesting like I do, you may not hear about it.

 

[JellyBean]

I just greatly appreciate Caitlin Clark and the level of excitement she brings to the game of basketball. She is a huge talent that is going to be a huge star at the next level. If she is playing a team in or near you, get there early and watch a shoot around. It is a joy. Sure, we see the long-range bombs that she knocks down with ease. But to me, watching her (against Michigan) she puts in the work.