By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Thank you.

Thank you to the Iowa women’s basketball team for making this one of the most memorable winters and early springs ever.

Thank you for turning dreams into reality, and for inspiring a fan base, and a nation, to believe that anything is possible if you work hard, believe in yourself and trust those around you.

Thank you to the players for conducting yourselves with class, and with dignity, and for embracing the thrill of competition and all that comes with it, the good and the bad.

Thank you for being tough and resilient, but also for being funny and compassionate.

Thank you for playing the game with zest, grit and passion, and for persevering through the tough times, and for handling success the right way.

Thank you for going where no Iowa’s women’s basketball team had gone before, and where few Iowa teams have gone.

Thank you for being unselfish and for accepting your star player’s greatness and for lifting her up rather than being petty and jealous about the attention she receives.

Thank you to the coaches for leading and caring, and for making the game fun for the players, and for the fans.

Thank you for helping the sport of women’s basketball grow and evolve, and for spreading more awareness.

Thank you for just having fun, and for being proud of what and who you represent as Hawkeyes.

I’ve been doing this for over 30 years, and have had the privilege to cover some outstanding Iowa teams during that time, including the 2002 Iowa football team that finished undefeated in Big Ten play for the first time in 80 years, and 11-2 overall. That team was led by dual-threat quarterback Brad Banks, who had gone from being a backup quarterback in 2001 to the Heisman Trophy runner-up a year later.

The 2015 Iowa football team also stands out for having finished undefeated in the regular season, and for playing in the Rose Bowl for the time in 25 years. The 2016 Rose Bowl game didn’t play out as hoped, but just to have reached that grand stage again was special.

And then, of course, the 1992-93 Iowa men’s basketball team will always have a special place in my heart for reasons that stretch far beyond what it accomplished on the court.

That team had to overcome the death of Chris Street in an automobile accident midway through the season and the way in which the players and coaches rallied around their fallen teammate and honored his legacy by staying strong in the wake of an unthinkable tragedy, and by having the courage to carry on still inspires to this day.

The 1992-93 Iowa men’s basketball place will always be in a class by itself because of what it had to overcome off the court.

The team could’ve easily unraveled in the wake of tragedy, but instead, the players and coaches clung to each other and showed the same toughness, courage and competitiveness that Chris Street showed on a daily basis.

The players and coaches knew the best way to honor Street was to keep fighting and competing and to never give up despite the horrible circumstances.

So, yes, the 1992-93 Iowa men’s basketball team sits on top of the highest pedestal, much like Nile Kinnick does from an individual standpoint.

But No. 2 on my list of favorite Hawkeye teams is the 2022-23 Iowa women’s basketball team, and I never would have imagined that before the season.

Caitlin Clark and her cohorts touched so many hearts, including mine, with how they played, with how they competed, and with how they embraced Hawkeye nation.

They are an inspiration to so many young kids, boys and girls, and that is truly the mark of a great team.

Clark was an emotional wreck during her post-game press conference on Sunday because she knew life would never be the same again.

Her days of playing with graduating seniors and close friends Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock were over, and that seemed harder for Clark to accept than the 102-85 loss to Louisiana State in Sunday’s national championship game.

A weeping Clark buried her head in Czinano’s shoulder, showing that even a superstar with incredible talent and moxie still is fragile.

Clark then paid Czinano the ultimate compliment.

“I told her after the game, I’m nothing without you,” Clark said of Czinano. “She’s made me a better person, a better basketball player. And I’m just really lucky that I was able to play with Mon and share a lot of really fun moments with her.

“I think we’re one of the best post-guard duos to play the game, and I’m just really lucky and grateful to have had these years together.”

Clark’s legacy is the stuff of legends, and she isn’t finished yet.

The dynamic 6-foot junior guard could play two more seasons at Iowa should she choose to use her free Covid year.

But that decision will be made down the road.

Clark is more concerned right now with the present, and with squeezing every last bit of emotion and gratitude out of a season that has helped to change the course of her life, and the lives of those who support her, especially the kids.

Clark is a generational talent and the face of women’s basketball right now. She is the National Player of the Year, and probably the most popular college athlete of her time, man or woman.

“I want my legacy to be the impact that I can have on young kids and the people in the state of Iowa, and I hope I brought them a lot of joy this season,” Clark said. “I hope this team brought them a lot of joy. I understand we came up one win short, but I think we have a lot to be proud of and a lot to celebrate.

“I was just that young girl, so all you have to do is dream, and you can be in moments like this.”

Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder, not surprisingly, was gracious in defeat.

She congratulated LSU for winning its first national title ever, she thanked the Iowa fans for showing up in large numbers in Dallas, and she thanked her players for taking her on an incredible and historic ride.

“I’m so proud of my team,” Bluder said. “I’m proud of the women they are. I’m proud of what they stand for. The Iowa fans that came here in droves, I’m so thankful for them. I’m thankful that I get to coach at a university like the University of Iowa.

“I’m telling you, this is brutal. It’s really tough to walk out of that locker room today and to not be able to coach Monika and the McKenna ever again, that’s tough. I’m very grateful for the season we had, and I don’t want anything to take away from that. We played the National Championship Game.”

And for that, Hawkeye fans will forever be grateful.

So again, thank you.

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