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Very few sports figures leave their lasting impact on a geographic region. Caitlin Clark’s tenure at Iowa is among that very few.
All the superlatives have been used and all have applied to describe the magnitude of Clark’s popularity in her home state. She helped put Iowa on the basketball map as the Hawkeyes became national sensations from 2022 to 2024. They made back-to-back appearances in the national championship game and Clark became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history. Along the way, she became a human highlight reel with her trademark logo 3s, clutch moments and captivating humility, endearing her beyond the realm of basketball.
Those memories came flooding back on Sunday when Clark and the Indiana Fever played an exhibition game at Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, taking on the Brazilian National Team. The game was part of a concerted effort by the WNBA to draw in more fans by bringing preseason games to the college campuses that produced some of the league’s marquee players.
The fans showed up and showed out. Among them were Clark’s former coaches Lisa Bluder and Jan Jensen, as well as teammates Hannah Stuelke, Gabbie Marshall and Kylie Feurbach, to name a few.
As expected the Fever dominated Brazil, 108-44. Clark finished with 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists in just around 30 minutes of playing time. Not to be outdone, Kelsey Mitchell finished with 17 points, three rebounds and three steals. Aliyah Boston came away with 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Natasha Howard had 10 points and five rebounds, while DeWanna Bonner had seven points and two rebounds.
Clark was coming off nursing a leg injury that sidelined her for the Fever’s first preseason game against the Washington Mystics on Saturday. Nevertheless, she gave the fans everything that could ask for, including a 3-pointer to start the game and a later 3 from the No. 22 spot on the floor where she became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer.
The vibe surrounding Clark’s homecoming was similar to Michael Jordan playing in the Scottie Pippen All-Star Classic in 1994, a charity game held at Chicago Stadium. Jordan was in the midst of his first retirement and playing minor league baseball, but he decided to go back to where his earliest flashes of greatness were unleashed—and didn’t miss a beat.
Clark did the same, leaving fans with a heightened sense of what is to come. The Fever are starting the season with championship buzz.
What a day in Iowa City. Can’t say thank you enough to everyone who made it special for myself, but also my teammates… FEV SHOWWW❤️ ❤️
— Caitlin Clark (@CaitlinClark22) May 4, 2025
The idea of coming back to where it all began and playing in a professional uniform was something Clark envisioned based on previous games held at Carver. Before the game, she shared:
I knew they had done some of these games before, if I’m not mistaken. But I didn’t know when it would happen. I didn’t expect it to happen this year and when Kelly (Krauskopf), our president, called me and was like, “We’re going to be able to make this happen and do this,” I was so excited and I knew the Iowa fans would be thrilled and the Fever fans would be thrilled. So just excited to bring the whole thing here.
Caitlin Clark talks about the opportunity to return to Iowa to play at Carver-Hawkeye Arena:
“It’s hard to put into words what exactly it means to me. It’s almost overwhelming to a point.” pic.twitter.com/NwITIMoTwj
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 5, 2025
As the league looks to find ways to capitalize on its surging popularity, Fever head coach Stephanie White would like to see more exhibition games at colleges to give fans in non-WNBA areas more in-person access to the league and its players. She noted:
I think it’s awesome. Way back in the day, when I was a player for the Indiana Fever, we did this at Purdue. We played a preseason game at Purdue and I think it allows fans who may not have opportunities to get to WNBA cities to experience WNBA basketball. It rewards these incredible fan bases who are such a piece of the fabric of college women’s basketball, and players like Caitlin, like Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell…can return home and all of these people can enjoy them again.
I think certainly we know that every day is a new opportunity. We know that we don’t take any opportunity for granted. So for us to be able to bring Caitlin back here and bring our team here to experience this fanbase, it’s an incredible opportunity.
