rewrite this content and keep HTML tags
It’s only fitting that on Feb. 2 — 2/2 — a pair of No. 22s were retired in women’s college basketball. South Carolina retired the No. 22 of A’ja Wilson in a pregame ceremony Sunday that left the three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player choking back tears at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. The No. 2 Gamecocks defeated Auburn 83-66. Hours later, Iowa retired Caitlin Clark’s jersey after the Hawkeyes’ 76-69 upset of No. 4 Southern California at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. At South Carolina, Wilson was the program’s first National Player of the Year, a three-time Southeastern Player of the Year and a four-time All-American. A native of Columbia, she was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft by the Las Vegas Aces and since then has won two WNBA titles with the team and two Olympic gold medals. “I am overwhelmed with gratitude and joy. To have my jersey retired at the University of South Carolina, the place where my dreams began, is an honor I could hardly put into words,” Wilson, 28, said. “…It’s a privilege to be a Gamecock, to be a part of this community, and one of the greatest honors of my life was representing Garnet and Black every night.” Dawn Staley, who coached Wilson with the Gamecocks, said ahead of the ceremony that Wilson helped to carve the identity of the national powerhouse program. “There’s no one more deserving of this weekend than A’ja,” Staley said. “She legitimized our program. She took it to another level and we still feel her legacy today. Everybody still talks about her contributions to our program.” And at Iowa, where the memories of Clark are much fresher, a packed house was present to witness Iowa’s biggest marquee win of the season before the jersey retirement of the Indiana Fever’s overall No. 1 draft pick, the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, a four-time All-American and college basketball’s all-time leading scorer. Clark, 23, stood at center court with family present as her own No. 22 was lifted into the rafters. All smiles during the ceremony, Clark also admitted to having butterflies prior to that point. “I just want to say thank you to everybody that’s here today,” Clark said during her retirement speech, quipping that it probably wasn’t cheap to gain entry. She then credited her teammates for the honor. “To the ones that were my teammates when I was here, I really appreciate you guys and I love you.” Clark has played a huge role in increasing the popularity of women’s basketball. Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz told NBC Sports that the school didn’t want to wait to honor her, even though it’s been less than a year since she put on the uniform for the final time. “It’s nice to be able to celebrate somebody in the moment — as close to that moment as you can because you don’t always have that opportunity,” Goetz said. “So, we’re doing it quickly here, but it’s also a wonderful homecoming for her and an opportunity for our fan base to get a chance to celebrate her again.” –Field Level Media
