What's next for Caitlin Clark after record-breaking NCAA career at Iowa
University of Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark is moving on to her next chapter after a tough loss in the NCAA women's final for the second year in a row.
Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes were defeated by the South Carolina Gamecocks 75-87 in the NCAA women's basketball championship in Cleveland on Sunday.
The game marked the end of Clark's record-breaking college basketball career.
This season alone, Clark, a 22-year-old Iowa native, broke the NCAA all-time scoring record, a record untouched for more than 50 years, and became the NCAA women's basketball career scoring leader.
Here are three things to know about what's ahead for Clark.
1. She's headed to the WNBA
Clark announced earlier this year that she planned to forego her last season of college hoops to enter the WNBA draft.
"I'm just kind of ready for the next chapter and a new challenge in my life," Clark told "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts in March. "And what I've been able to do here has been very, very special. But I think the reason I decided to announce it when I did was just to have that closure."
Clark, who is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, will soon know where she will spend the start of her professional basketball career.
The Indiana Fever have the first pick of the draft this year.
The 2024 WNBA draft will be held Monday, April 15, in Brooklyn, and will air on ESPN.
2. But first, she could spend the summer in Paris
Before Clark heads to the WNBA, she may have a pit stop in Paris to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Clark was invited by USA Basketball to take part in the Olympic training camp in Cleveland on April 3 to 5, but the dates conflicted with the NCAA women's Final Four weekend, according to ESPN.
If she is asked to join Team USA, Clark could compete on either the traditional women's U.S. Olympic 5-on-5 team or the 3x3 team, an event that debuted at the 2020 Games. The U.S. won gold in both events in Tokyo.
No announcement has been made by USA Basketball yet on when the rosters will be confirmed. The Paris Olympics are scheduled to take place from July 26 to Aug. 11.
Also vying for spots on Team USA are WNBA stars and former Olympians including Brittney Griner, Breanna Stewart, Ariel Atkins, Chelsea Gray, A'ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Jewell Loyd, according to ESPN.
3. Expectations are high for her impact on the WNBA
Supporters of women's basketball are hoping that Clark has the same impact on the WNBA that she did on women's collegiate basketball.
After Sunday's game, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said she hopes Clark can "elevate" the sport in the WNBA.
"I think she's the sole responsibility of our game being raised to this level of playing, as many women's games basketball games were on national television," Staley said of Clark. "Every time she plays, she seems to outdo herself. There's not a lot of people that can demand and command that kind of attention, and Caitlin's one of them."
Staley continued, "I know her shoulders are heavy because of what she has to give to women's basketball. I just want to say we're thankful. We're thankful that she chose to play basketball. We're thankful for the way she's handled all of it. Her next step is the WNBA -- I do think she can be that person that elevates us."
The two most recent March Madness games in which Clark played prior to Sunday's final broke viewing records.
Iowa's win over the University of Connecticut on Friday night averaged 14.2 million viewers on ESPN, making it the most-viewed women's basketball game on record and the largest audience for an ESPN basketball broadcast, according to the network.
The previous women's basketball record was 12.3 million viewers for last Monday's Iowa vs. Louisiana State University game, according to ESPN.
As Clark broke scoring records at Iowa, ticket prices increased more than 160% for home games compared to the previous season.
Clark herself spoke about her appreciation for how interest in women's basketball has grown over the course of her collegiate career.
"When you're given an opportunity, women's sports just kind of thrives," Clark said Sunday in a post-game press conference. "I think that's been the coolest thing for me on this journey. We started our season playing in front of 55,000 people in Kinnick Stadium, and now we're ending it playing in front of probably 15 million people or more on TV. It just continues to get better and better and better. That's never going to stop."
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