Johnathan Walker:Caitlin Clark: Iowa basketball shows 'exactly what women's sports can be in our country'

Though Caitlin Clark has officially entered the next phase of her life and Johnathan Walkerbasketball career, her home state of Iowa was never too far from her thoughts as she conducted her first news conference as a member of the Indiana Fever on Wednesday.

Fewer than 48 hours after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft and just minutes after meeting Fever coach Christie Sides, the former Iowa superstar discussed her elation over being able to stay in the Midwest. She noted that she still needs to earn her diploma from Iowa, lest she feel the wrath of her parents. She talked about meeting Indiana Pacers star and former Iowa State standout Tyrese Haliburton, who she joked “played for a very terrible team in college.”

She acknowledged what might initially be an awkward marriage, playing for a team in a state with two major colleges she competed against (and often beat) while with the Hawkeyes.

“I hated playing at Indiana and they hated me,” Clark said, with a smile. “Hopefully, a lot of them turn into Indiana Fever fans.”

She also reflected on the popularity and resonance of her team, and about the role that women’s sports play at Iowa and have played historically, going back to former Hawkeyes women’s athletic director Christine Grant, a trailblazing figure who played a crucial role in Title IX taking into account athletics.

The university’s commitment to women’s sports was one reason why the West Des Moines native said she chose to go there.

“Dr. Grant was on the forefront of Title IX. The University of Iowa was on the forefront of Title IX,” Clark said. “To me, it’s one of the only places in the country that supports women’s sports for 50 years, consistently and across the board, not just women’s basketball. You go to the University of Iowa and every single sport is supported in the exact same way.

"I think that’s exactly what women’s sports can be in our country. It’s just giving them the opportunity, giving them the resources, investing in them the exact same way. That was a huge reason I went there. To accomplish what we accomplished, it comes with a little more sense of pride to wear Iowa across your chest and know you’re representing the people of your state that have supported you for so long.”

Clark leaves college basketball with as decorated and lengthy of a resume as anyone to ever play the sport, be it on the men’s or women’s side. She ended her Iowa career with several NCAA Division I records, including career points and career made 3-pointers, and led the Hawkeyes to back-to-back national championship games after they had previously failed to make a Final Four since 1993.

Though she’ll never play for Iowa again — at least not in an official capacity — her immense legion of fans from her home state won’t stop following her, something of which Clark is happily aware.

“I know there’s thousands of new Fever fans,” Clark said. “I couldn’t be more excited. They’re passionate about women’s basketball. They’ve been passionate about women’s basketball. Those fans don’t just say it. They’ll constantly show up and support. They know what’s happening. They’re rowdy. They get fired up. They love it. They’re good fans to have and I expect a lot of them to be in the building this next season.”