Caitlin Clark's father on her pursuit of Kelsey Plum's all-time scoring record: 'She enjoys it, she embraces it'

Caitlin Clark came into Sunday’s game against Nebraska just 38 points away from tying Kelsey Plum’s all-time NCAA scoring record.

Before the Iowa Women’s Basketball superstar had a chance to surpass the former Washington Husky, Clark’s father, Brent Clark, revealed what it has been like for his daughter in recent weeks knowing that she is about to rewrite the history books.

“I can’t really imagine what she might internalize,” Clark said in an interview during the second quarter. “My wife and I are very aware of it and we try to just see how she’s doing and obviously the coaching staff too. I think she enjoys it, she embraces it. I mean, if you’re a performer or an athlete — you want to play in front of the biggest crowds. I think it’s just everything she could ever imagine.”

Competitive, assertive, creative — all of these are words that Brent Clark has used to describe his daughter growing up when she was playing co-ed youth basketball. Those are the same adjectives that analysts use to describe her on a game-to-game basis as well.

“She had to be at a young age,” he said. “She was kind of a marked player even then if you can imagine.”

From beating up the boys on the basketball court growing up to being a five-star recruit out of high school — her father is proud of the person Clark has become on and off the court, the influence she has on so many, and how she’s helping to change the perception of women’s basketball one bucket at a time.

“The first word that comes to mind is humbling, really,” Clark continued. “Who would have thought, you know? As a little girl, she loved to play. The bigger the crowd, the better. This is what it should be like for every sports event, really. I mean, women’s basketball, it’s awesome.”

Not only did she enter Sunday chasing the all-time scoring record, but already reached rarified air before halftime as Clark surpassed 1,000 career assists during the first half of Sunday’s contest. She is the sixth women’s basketball player in college basketball history to achieve the feat.

If Clark was to not break the record on Sunday, she would almost certainly shatter it during Iowa’s next matchup against Michigan. Waiting it out might even be more rewarding for Clark, as the game will be in front of a home crowd in Iowa City on Thursday.