Caitlin Clark is 1 of 1: ‘We’ve never seen a woman play like this’،
Caitlin Clark is the best offensive player we've seen in women's college basketball over the last three decades. His point total, while enormous and now unmatched, only tells part of the story. Even though we've seen some incredible scorers – Lynette Woodard, Kelsey Plum, Maya Moore, Jackie Stiles, Brittney Griner – we've NEVER seen a woman play like that.
The Iowa senior's consistent shooting range and willingness to consistently go deep makes her different. This season, she has made 88 shots from 25 feet or farther. Over the past five years, the second-highest single-season total by someone other than Clark is 51 (Indiana guard Sara Scalia in 2021-22), according to CBB Analytics. Defenders must collect it as soon as it crosses half the field, otherwise it is within reach.
Steph Curry and Damian Lillard are the only other half-court threats that come to mind. Clark's mere presence on the field manipulates individual and collective defenses and creates better spacing for each of his teammates.
But he is his death which elevates him above the other great scorers in women's football. Her passing makes her not only the top scorer but also the best overall offensive player.
Clark is the best passer “in advance” since Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi.
Clark sees his teammates running down the field and often throws a header pass before he even turns his head to know it's coming. She is elite in the two-man game and elite reading defenses and know how to issue a pass through the smallest window.
As we celebrate Clark as the leading scorer in NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball history after passing Pete Maravich's mark on Sunday, we can't ignore that she's also sixth all-time times for assists in the women's match. No other player is in the top 28 of either. (Oddly, the career assist data only includes the top 28 players. There's a chance that no one else is in the top 65, where Sabrina Ionescu tops the scoring charts while being fourth in assists.)
Clark is also the only major conference basketball player to lead it in scoring and assists for four consecutive seasons.
Everyone knows it now @IowaWBB It is @CaitlinClark22 tops the NCAA career scoring list. Not many people know that she is also 6th in career assists. (For context, no other players are in the top 25 of both.) We analyzed some of her elite passes in the record-breaking game. pic.twitter.com/7iQsFIyRJh
-Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) February 19, 2024
Finally, she is an excellent teammate. Even though she attempts the second-most field goals in the country — her 22.6 attempts per game are behind USC freshman JuJu Watkins' 22.8 attempts — she rarely forces shots. I haven't seen her throw a deep 3 while a teammate is open to get a better look. I've never seen a teammate with her shoulders slumped because Clark didn't pass her the ball when he was open. Does Clark ever look frustrated when a pass is mishandled? Yes, but it still feels like she's frustrated with the game and not the player. And it’s clear that her teammates love playing alongside her.
One of my favorite Clark moments of the season happened during Iowa's game against Michigan. It wasn't Clark's eight points in the first two minutes that gave her the NCAA women's scoring record. And it wasn't any of his subsequent 33 points or 13 assists.
It was a decision she made right before leaving the match. With a minute to play and Clark with 49 points, she got the ball in transition – and instead of going down and trying to get all 50 points, she sent a pass to teammate Hannah Stuelke, who was fouled . Passing the ball was the right decision at that moment and Clark made the right decision – not the selfish decision.
It's rare that someone changes the way a sport is played. Clark did it. Her scoring, coupled with her passing, makes her the best offensive player I have seen in my 35 years of playing and covering the women's college game.
