Caitlin Clark wins women’s basketball player of the year

We are honored to name Caitlin Clark CompetitorPlayer of the Year will surprise absolutely no one.

Any media or organization not naming her National Team Player of the Year would be committing a basketball version of heresy. Young children, grandparents and generations know of Clark’s record-setting seasons and her penchant for shots that sometimes looked like they were launched from the moon.

Caitlin Clark’s myth continues to grow, and her legend will become even more legendary if she leads Iowa to a national championship game again. Her stunning shooting captivated casual viewers, who became not only Iowa diehards, but women’s college basketball fans. Clark has always been impossible to ignore, but somehow the higher her star rises, the less fully appreciated the nuances of her game that transcend the dazzle seem to be.

Clark leads the nation in scoring with 32.7 points per game (she has led the nation in three of four seasons) while also ranking first in assists with 8.7 assists per game (she has led the nation in the past three seasons). She leads the league in made 5.4 3-pointers per game (she also led that number last season), but her seven defensive rebounds per game puts her in the 95th percentile of players. According to HerHoopsStats, she leads the league in win shares and player efficiency rating.

Why Clark is the best athlete in the country is undoubtedly based on her exceptional skills that are rarely seen in the sport. She did a great job and her highlight reels fill fans’ memories.

But as we vote for Player of the Year — admittedly, this season the vote is simple and without debate — we asked women’s college basketball experts a harder question. What was the highlight of Clark’s memorable season?

Accurate passing

While I’m happy to see Clark hit a 3-pointer from the mark, I have to give the assist for that. I had the opportunity to see her in person three times this season, and each time I walked away saying, “TV may have given people an idea of ​​Clark as a shooter, but it didn’t even scratch the surface. She was like a passer-by.” To truly understand. Her field of vision and her ability to find those stringing windows, you need to be able to see the entire court, not the part that the photographer chooses. You’ll never get tired of watching Clark knock down a 60-foot pass with ease in transition or watching her rocket through four defenders. This particular assist propelled Clark to the top spot in the Big Ten in assists, so it felt fitting to have a pass that showcased her vision, precision and execution here. Also, Hannah Stuelke, well done. I will miss this connection next year. Check out the pass at 51 seconds here:

— Chantelle Jennings

dazzling stars

Even after watching Clark lead the Hawkeyes to a national championship game, I didn’t think I could understand what she meant to college basketball until the start of the season, when Iowa faced off against Virginia Tech in Charlotte. Watching every moment of an unofficial game live and die in front of more than 15,000 fans at a neutral site is proof enough that Clark is going to be a phenomenon wherever he goes this year. Of course, on national television, she delivered a masterpiece, posting 44 points, eight rebounds and six assists. List of players who scored 44 points in a single game in this year’s power conference? JuJu Watkins, Hannah Stuelke and Caitlin Clark have done it 3 times…and counting. By the way, the other two had a combined 3 assists in the game.

On a night when Virginia Tech superstar Georgia Amore scored 31 points, Hokies coach Kenny Brooks was realistic about what the matchup with Clark would mean. “I love my girls,” he said, “but sometimes you’re playing checkers and she’s playing checkers. She’s just that good.” She’s been dazzling audiences and rival coaches ever since.

—Sabrina Merchant

logo 3s

Clark herself said it: How else could she solidify her place in history and set the all-time NCAA women’s scoring record other than with a Hallmark 3? On February 15, her 3-pointer on Iowa’s fifth possession against Michigan State set a record for Clark and sparked a roar in a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena. applause. It was the most appropriate way for her to make history, and even more impressively, it took her just 2 minutes and 22 seconds to score eight points, surpassing former Washington star Kelsey Plumb. Clark added to the highlight of the night with a highlight-reel performance as he scored a career-high and program-record 49 points in the Hawkeyes’ 106-89 win. “The work she’s done to elevate our program and women’s basketball nationally is amazing,” Iowa State coach Lisa Bluder said afterward. Clark’s passing was undoubtedly superb – both in flair and accuracy – but Clark will, first and foremost, go down as one of the best scorers (and shooters) in the history of college basketball, men or women. basketball. Maybe the best. I could pick any number of moments where she put the ball in the basket—the game-winning 3-pointer against Michigan State, the 3-pointer over Lynette Woo against Minnesota State. Dade, she shot more free throws than Pete Maravich and so on. …But perhaps no shot captures her greatness and drive as much as her transcendence over Plum.

Are you kidding 😂@caitlinclark22 X #eagleeye pic.twitter.com/afOSOY70Ku

— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) February 16, 2024

— Ben Pickman

POY voting statistics

(Photo by Caitlin Clark: Stephen Chambers/Getty Images)