Thank you for two of the greatest seasons in Hawkeye athletics
Caitlin Clark, Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin have changed Iowa women's basketball forever
By Pat Harty
Thank you.
Win or lose, I decided that would be the first sentence in this column no matter what happened in Sunday’s national championship game against South Carolina because that’s my prevailing thought as we mark the end of the greatest two-season stretch in the history of the Iowa women’s basketball program, and the end to the greatest career in the history of the program, and arguably the greatest career in women’s college basketball history from an offensive standpoint.
Iowa fell to a very deep, talented and revenge-driven South Carolina squad 87-75 in the NCAA championship game on Sunday in Cleveland.
The Hawkeyes defeated South Carolina 77-73 in the NCAA semifinals last season before losing to Louisiana State 102-85 in the national title game.
This is a better South Carolina squad than a year ago because it has better perimeter shooters, along with the same size, athleticism, and depth from last season.
Proof of that depth is that South Carolina had a 37-0 advantage in bench points in Sunday’s game.
As much as it hurts for Iowa to have come so agonizingly close to winning its first national title in each of these past two seasons, this latest disappointment will fade.
Tip your hat to South Carolina and appreciate what Clark and her cohorts have accomplished because it may never happen again.
It isn’t hard to believe that Clark’s legendary career is over after four years.
You just don’t want to believe it.
Caitlin Clark will never make another logo 3 or dish another no-look pass as a Hawkeye.
Graduate guard Kate Martin will never stuff the stat sheet again as a Hawkeye, while fifth-year senior guard Gabbie Marshall will never play in-your-face defense again as a Hawkeye.
All there is now are memories, but these memories will last forever, and will always be there if you need a pick-me-up.
Clark and her Hawkeyes teammates and coaches have treated fans to an unimaginable journey, and to moments that will be etched in Hawkeye minds forever.
Clark has helped women’s basketball evolve like no other player before her.
She has transcended the sport with her greatness, and is now a cultural icon and sports phenomenon as the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer for both men and women.
Fans, even on the road, waited in line for hours just to see Clark play.
She and her teammates became must-see TV as Iowa set television viewership records almost every time it played, especially during this latest march in the NCAA Tournament.
But that’s also why it is so hard to see Clark go.
Clark will soon be a member of WNBA’s Indiana Fever as they are considered a lock to select her in the first round of the draft next week.
“I want to thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said on the court after Sunday’s game. “Because she carried a heavy load for our sport, and it’s just not going to stop here on the collegiate tour, but when she is the number one pick in the WNBA draft. she is going to lift that league up.”
It’ll be weird seeing the 6-foot guard from West Des Moines in a different uniform and playing for a different coach.
Clark is ready for the next level, though.
She has given her heart, soul and body to Hawkeye basketball and now it’s time for her to face a bigger challenge.
Clark has also changed the way a lot of people look at women’s basketball, and she now serves as inspiration for young girls and boys that aspire to be like her.
Some will hold it against Clark for not winning a national title, and they will use that to judge her level of greatness.
But who cares?
Caitlin Clark is arguably the greatest offensive player in the history of women’s college basketball, and the fact that she fell short in winning a national title doesn’t change that.
So again, thank you for a spectacular run, and for creating so much joy and excitement for fans.