Caitlin Clark: I Want My Legacy to Be the Impact I Have on Kids, People in Iowa
Iowa superstar guard Caitlin Clark told reporters what she wants her legacy to be when her career is over someday:
Clark is coming off an historic NCAA tournament where she led Iowa to a national championship appearance and dropped a record 191 points, the high-water mark in women's or men's Division I play.
It was a tremendous performance for Clark, who was born and raised in Iowa and went to high school at Dowling Catholic in Des Moines. She stayed in-state to move onto the Hawkeyes in 2020 and has been sensational ever since.
Clark has already made a great impact on the state outside of her remarkable on-court accomplishments, which include unanimous college player of the year honors this season and a pair of unanimous first-team All-American honors.
She's a frequent visitor of the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, and her impact there is so great that she even learned of being named AP Player of the Year during a visit:
Clark also has a pro bono NIL deal with Coralville Community Food Pantry in Coralville, Iowa, as Grace Raynor of The Athletic noted in a recent feature and Daniel Wallach of The Athletic relayed. As Raynor noted, the pantry intended to pay Clark for fundraising and community outreach efforts, but she wanted to assist for free.
Clark's postseason performance gives her the chance to make an even greater impact on the community given her superstar status, which was further cemented this past month and could offer her the chance for an even bigger platform to impact younger kids and Iowa residents.
As for the future, Clark can stay in school for one more year before moving on to the WNBA draft in 2024, when she is first eligible to enter her name. She'll be a focal point again during the 2023-24 collegiate season before potentially lighting up the pros in a year's time.