Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark is expected to be the No. 1 pick in next April’s WNBA draft if she opts out of her final year of eligibility with the Hawkeyes. However, she could also decide to return for one more season with the additional year provided to all Division I and II athletes after the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the 2019–20 season.
The expectation is that Clark will turn pro and begin what should be a dazzling WNBA career. The league could surely use the boost that Clark’s high profile and national notoriety would bring.
Yet staying in college would allow Clark to cement her legacy as arguably women’s college basketball’s greatest all-time player. The possibility of injury would be a concern. But she would still benefit financially from the money she could earn from NIL deals and endorsements with companies like Nike and State Farm while furthering her education.
As Clark told legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski on his weekly SiriusXM show, Basketball and Beyond, she’s in a no-lose situation.
Could @CaitlinClark22 shock the basketball world and return to Iowa for another season?
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) December 19, 2023
"It's a hard decision, in my eyes it's like a win-win."@DukeMBB | @IowaWBB | @WNBA pic.twitter.com/GAxHy3PJlj
“It’s a hard decision because, in my eyes, it’s like a win-win,” Clark told Krzyzewski. “I can go and live out a life of a dream. Or I can stay [at Iowa] and be in college, start working on my master’s or start working on another degree and still play college basketball with some of my best friends. That’s what makes it so hard. Both seem so amazing.”
Clark, who will turn 22 in January, leads the nation with an average of 30.2 points per game. Additionally, she averages 6.8 rebounds and 7.2 assists while shooting 39.7% from three-point range.
With 3,079 career points, Clark is on pace to surpass Washington’s Kelsey Plum (3,527 points) as women’s college basketball’s all-time leading scorer.
