Caitlin Clark: 'I've always been one to play the crowd'

Iowa women’s basketball star guard Caitlin Clark is not one to back down from the moment. In fact, she rather likes playing to the usually enraptured audience of fans in the stands.

And even though she probably knows better, Clark loves to steal glances into the crowd to see who is out there, often a byproduct of trying to locate her parents in the stands. With a few college games left, and after her final one at home, Clark discussed her interplay with the fans in attendance for her often dazzling offensive showcases.

“I try not to look in the stands the best I can,” Clark said. “I don’t know, my family has always been people that have been there for me through the ups and downs of my journey. More than anything, they just look at me and motivate me, and that’s a sign of reassurance. Or I’ll look to our bench and get that too.”

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In her final game in front of her home fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Monday, Clark gave the fans the exact sort of show they’ve come to expect, pouring in 32 of Iowa’s 64 points in a 64-54 win to advance to the Sweet 16.

After the game, Clark made sure to laud the loyal home fans one last time before Iowa heads into the Sweet 16 and hopefully further in the NCAA Tournament. And whatever conscious efforts Clark takes to be zeroed in, she sometimes can’t resist whirring up the fans. Sometimes, she can’t really help it or doesn’t even realize that she’s given a gesture or a look into the stands in the flow of play.

“I thought our crowd was tremendous tonight,” Clark said. “They really willed us to this victory. I think I do that. At times I’m not even aware as much. Sometimes I’m just looking around. But I think it’s being able to lock in at the same time. Sometimes I don’t even notice how loud the environment is getting because I’m so focused on the court.”

And as Iowa rolls deeper into the NCAA Tournament, Clark probably isn’t going to stop giving the crowd plenty of reason to cheer, both directly and indirectly.

“But I’ve always been one to play to the crowd,” Clark said. “That’s just who I am. That’s kind of what I do, an entertainer in a way. I always want to get them going.”