Caitlin Clark’s true character made clear after college coach U-turn | Other | Sport

WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark demonstrated her considerate nature in college when she called to de-commit from Notre Dame for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

At just 22, Clark has rapidly transformed from a promising rookie to the face of her league, smashing records and leading her Indiana Fever to an impressive, albeit unsuccessful, playoff berth – topping the team in both points and assists. However, her journey to fame began in the Big Ten, where she first established her record-breaking reputation with Iowa.

Despite not securing a national championship, it was here that Clark developed into the player she is today. But things could have been very different had she stuck with her initial commitment to the Fighting Irish – a decision she backed out of with great thoughtfulness.

Ranked as a five-star recruit and the fourth-best player in her high school class by ESPN, having been named a McDonald’s All-American, Clark had narrowed down her college choices early on. For a while, it seemed South Bend would be her chosen destination. Alas, things didn’t pan out that way. Despite giving a verbal commitment, Clark ultimately picked the Hawkeyes.

“I may still be coaching if Caitlin Clark came to Notre Dame,” former Fighting Irish coach Muffet McGraw, who retired in 2020, confessed on the Good Game With Sarah Spain podcast.

“She committed to us, but I had a feeling it was kind of a soft commitment when she did because she couldn’t decide, could not decide. And then finally she said, ‘I want to come.’ But it wasn’t like, ‘I’m coming! ‘ It was kind of like, ‘I made the decision'”

However, as Clark’s allegiances switched, she made sure to let McGraw know via phone call before her public announcement, highlighting her truly well-natured character, reports the Irish Star.

“After that, we waited and waited for her to announce it because we’re not allowed to announce anything. The players have to do that themselves,” McGraw added. “So she made the announcement a long time after that. I kept saying, ‘When is it coming out?’ And then when she made the announcement, she was going to Iowa. But of course, she called me to tell me.”

The rest, is history, as Clark became the NCAA women’s basketball all-time record scorer and the leader in Division I three-pointers. She was then selected No. 1 overall by the Fever in the 2024 WNBA draft. Yet, Clark has since admitted that her family actually wanted her to attend Notre Dame rather than Iowa, but it was her gut feeling that told her otherwise.

“My family wanted me to go to Notre Dame,” Clark told ESPN. “At the end of the day, they were like, you make the decision for yourself. But it’s Notre Dame! ‘Rudy’ was one of my favourite movies. How could you not pick Notre Dame?”

Opening up on the New Heights podcast, she revealed the instinctive feeling that steered her away: “I could feel it in my gut, I was like ‘Ahh, I’m not supposed to go there [Notre Dame].'”