Luka Doncic is more entertaining than ever in the NBA, to the point that his name is once again strong in the race for the MVP trophy. However, American media wanted to interview her for the women’s college tournament on Tuesday after practice in Dallas. And above all, Caitlin Clark, a 22-year-old American defender from Iowa, still unknown in the eyes of the general European public, but already a real phenomenon across the Atlantic. And a Slovenian genius“She’s incredible, she’s the female Steph Curry, she shoots a lot better than me. »
The 1.83 player made her mark a month ago by breaking the 1970 flagship record for career points scored in college basketball, including men’s and women’s. Gone is the legendary Pete Maravich and his 3,667 points, now Caitlin Clark. That’s up on average for her fourth and final NCAA season with the Hawkeyes, averaging 32 points, 9 assists and 7.3 rebounds. Yes, yes, that’s it. Enough to get a tribute tweet from Joe Biden alone.
Nine triples were made in the quarterfinals
During Monday’s most anticipated college game of the year, a quarterfinal against LSU in Albany (N.Y.) in a rematch of the previous final, the shooter was ugly we shoot. 41 points, 12 assists, 9/20 threes (!!!) and a dismal qualification (94-87) to the Final Four in Cleveland. “Seeing a player capable of drawing from the center circle is unheard of in history,” marvels Shaï Mamou, a journalist for the French women’s basketball website Swish Swish, glued to the screen these days for Hawkeyes games late into the night. . Compared to the NBA, the WNBA has kept a more traditional game, but Caitlin Clark can revolutionize the League with her long range shots like Stephen Curry did. »
Less flamboyant than the Warriors superstar, Caitlin Clark is no less diabolical in her penchant for shooting her opponents from the parking lot while proliferating caviar. Before she challenges UConn and its talented leader Paige Bueckers on Friday night (at 3 o’clock on beIN SPORTS 2), she appears to be as feared as Michael Jordan in his prime. His latest victim, LSU coach Kim Mulkey, had this to say after her recital: “There’s no strategy with her: nobody can stop her. She is a generational player who makes all her teammates better. I’m glad she’s leaving college basketball to join the WNBA this summer. »
Travis Scott traveled to Iowa City to greet Clark
Definitely number 1 in the next draft, so promised Indiana Fever. Meanwhile, the one who should not yet be part of the US “Dream Team” for the 2024 Paris Olympics, despite her recent call-up to the national team, aims to give Iowa its first NCAA crown. . UConn coach Geno Auriemma, who wasn’t done with her for a few hours, laughed about it in a pregame press conference: “I know Caitlin Clark had a falling out with LSU. But there is nothing personal between her and me. I don’t want her to give us 50 points. I love her, who said I think Paige Bueckers is the best player in the country? I think Cailtin is the best player ever. »
Even before his professional career begins, the Iowa City idol is captivating the basketball world, including a simple video of a solo preseason practice. We see her multiplying sprints and chaining in various positions, a total of 233/300. “It’s a day at work,” as someone else would say. So is “Caitlinsanity” in the United States, where all of his games this season are apparently sold out, with tickets selling for up to $3,500 on the black market at the sweltering Iowa City (15,400-seat) venue. A reporter for Iowa’s KGAN television station, depicts the frenzied enthusiasm in this Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
” With each of his impossible shots, all the spectators seemed to hold their breath. And a second later, the crowd explodes indescribably. Even I, who am not a huge basketball fan to begin with, often stick with my teammates in the middle of the game and shout, “Waaaah, did you see that?” I never thought our little state would be the center of all the attention in the United States. Caitlin is now more famous than the governor of Iowa and people come from halfway across the country to see her perform. Plus, we’re not even surprised to find out that celebrities like rapper Travis Scott attend a Hawkeyes game. »
Crowds bigger than most NBA Finals
The Caitlin Clark effect is even more telling on the small screen. The quarterfinals on Monday marked one of the most successful nights in the history of American women’s sports: 6.7 million viewers on ESPN for USC-UConn and especially 12.3 million for the famous LSU-Iowa. Monstrous numbers, even by the standards of competitive professional sports in the U.S.: NBA Finals average ratings since 2015 have never topped this LSU-Iowa one, barring the presence of Stephen Curry’s Warriors. Likewise, no game in the previous season of Major League Baseball (MLB), despite being institutions across the Atlantic, also failed.
“In the eyes of young girls today, female star athletes are just as important, if not more so, than male athletes,” notes Lindsey Darvin, a professor of sports management at Syracuse University and keen observer of the Caitlin Clark phenomenon. They will never know the days when it was impossible to constantly watch women’s sports on television. » That’s exactly what the jacket worn Monday by Jason Sudeikis (yes, the awesome Ted Lasso), also a huge Caitlin Clark fan and therefore present on the sidelines for LSU-Iowa, read: “Everybody watches women’s sports. »
“Barriers Fall”
Professor of Sport Management and Economics in Canada, notes that “this LSU-Iowa matchup led to the largest number of sports bets in the history of women’s sports in the United States, and that the impact of this meeting on social media was astounding”. So much so that she sees an “unprecedented boost for women’s basketball” in this NCAA Final Four in Cleveland (in the Cavs’ 20,500-seat arena).
“This is the first time there has been much more public excitement around the women’s NCAA than the men’s,” continues Michael Naraine. No player is identified as a potential star for the next draft, while Caitlin Clark, but also Angel Reese (LSU), JuJu Watkins (USC) and Paige Bueckers (UConn) are already impressive. They can open a new era of sports. » A turning point that could go beyond American borders in this Final Four, commented live on French television for the first time.
” With that hype, Caitlin Clark can help further democratize women’s basketball around the world, appreciates Marie-Fatou Gueye, beIN SPORTS basketball journalist and N3 player at Stade Français. On an American scale, barriers are falling as we see the excitement surrounding the three-point duel between Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu at the last All Star Game and the fact that the WNBA is being watched and praised by the NBA’s big stars. It is important that young basketball players and basketball players can have female role models. I happen to see guys in France wearing Sabrina Ionescu sneakers today. » We can count on Nike, already a title sponsor of Caitlin Clark since 2022, to continue the spirit with the young icon from all of Iowa in the coming years.