Comparing Caitlin Clark phenomenon to other historic college athletes

It’s not just Iowa fans who will tell you Caitlin Clark is must-watch basketball. The Hawkeyes guard is one of the most exciting players in the country, drawing large crowds wherever she steps on the court.

People will come from all over and, as Hawkeye Report‘s Tom Kakert explained to On3‘s Andy Staples on Tuesday, regardless of conditions. Even a snowstorm last week in Iowa didn’t stop fans from showing up in large numbers to watch Clark and the Hawkeyes take on Indiana.

“It’s insane,” Kakert said. “We had like 25 inches of snow last week and there was a game on Saturday night. They were like, ‘travel not advised. Don’t go on the roads.’ I didn’t go anywhere, but they had at least 14,000 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday when Iowa played Indiana and that was a national FOX game. Everybody wants to see this.

“This is a phenomenon. She is one of those kind of transcendent athletes that you see every once in a while. I’ve argued to some of my friends that I think she’s the most marketable female athlete in the country — pro or college.”

Clark arrived on most people’s radar last season as she led Iowa to the national championship, where it lost to LSU. She set several records in the process. Her 191 total points were the most scored by any player in women’s NCAA Tournament history. She also set the women’s record with 60 total assists in the tournament.

Clark had several big performances along the way, including the first ever 40-point triple-double in NCAA Tournament history — men or women — against Louisville to send the Hawkeyes to the Final Four. She poured in 41 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Her eight 3-pointers in the championship loss were also the most in men’s or women’s tournament history.

Clark has picked up where she left off this season to average 30.9 points, 7.9 assists and 7.2 rebounds. On Monday, she surpassed Brittney Griner to become fourth all-time in women’s career points. As she continues to etch her name into record books, Kakert compared Clark’s “swagger” to that of two famous men’s college basketball players.

“She gives that whole team a lot of swagger,” he said. “She’s like Steph Curry and Pistol Pete Maravich rolled into one. She’s an outstanding passer. She’s got that Pistol Pete Maravich. Pete was just one of those swagger guys. He was flashy. Made the flashy passes. That’s what Caitlin does.

“She’ll throw a 75-foot bounce pass to Hannah Stuelke running to the basket and put it there right on a dime. She’ll pull from the logo like she did at the Michigan State game where she just stepped back from the beak and there it is. You knew the minute it left her hand it was going in because it’s Caitlin Clark.”

Unlike Curry or Maravich, however, Clark has been able to capitalized her popularity thanks to NIL. Her NIL valuation of $809,000 ranks her fourth among women’s college basketball players and 52nd in On3’s NIL top 100 rankings.

Even on the road, Clark has supporters show out to support her. Kakert revealed it can be a bit much at times, as Clark even needs security around her when she attends Iowa men’s games. But she’s typically willing to stop and accommodate her fans’ requests.

“They went to Purdue last week and played and there was girls sitting behind the bench with Caitlin Clark signs,” Kakert said. “It’s girls and younger boys, too, that are just enthralled with her, particularly young girls who aspire to play basketball. She’s generous, too. There was an example of a girl who came to a game recently in Iowa City and she gave her her shoes after the game and signed them.

“She’ll wander into the men’s game and they have to put security by her when she’s watching the game because everybody just kind of flocks over. They want to get a selfie, they want to get a picture, they want to get an autograph. She’s just there to kind of watch basketball and support the men’s team.”

Most of Clark’s biggest fans are young girls who hope to play basketball one day like her. One of her NIL sponsors, local grocery chain HyVee, recently released a cereal dubbed “Caitlin Crunch.” There was so much excitement for the cereal that it sold out by noon the first day it was available.

Caitlin Clark realizes the responsibility she has with so many young people looking up to her in Iowa and beyond. It’s something she doesn’t take lightly, and handles her superstar status with pride.

“I’ll give her a ton of credit because after every game she’s signing autographs,” Kakert said. “She’s spending time with people. She doesn’t have to do that. She could just go off and go to the locker room and hide out and put her hoodie up and walk to the team bus and get on a plane and go back.

“But she signs autographs every game. She’s accessible. She’s not rude to people at all. She’s very accommodating. She takes this role of the role model for young girls and inspiring young girls so very seriously. You see that in her ads and things she’s doing.”