Flyover State Phenom

Former Iowa Hawkeye Caitlin Clark is infusing a never-before-witnessed level of energy into women’s sports, and we Gamecocks are loving it.

By W. Thomas Smith Jr.

THOUGHTS ABOUT CAITLIN CLARK: To say this beautiful young Iowa “flyover state” Hawkeye is nothing short of a phenom is understating it to the degree that she is breaking records (both personal athletic achievement and attendance records wherever she plays) and, as of this writing, she is the near-undisputed front-runner for Rookie of the Year in the WNBA. Some say “MVP,” but I won’t go quite that far. Not yet.

What I do think is safe to say is that young Caitlin has emerged as a bloody Joan of Arc to her fan base. Of course my WNBA favorite is former South Carolina Gamecock and last year’s Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston. And what makes it particularly sweet to me as that Aliyah and Caitlin are teammates, close friends, and a perfectly in sync dual threat on the court (Caitlin also “works and plays well with others” on her Indiana Fever squad).

Anyway, about 10 or 12 months ago, my mom – who like me is a huge Gamecock football and basketball (men’s and women’s b-ball) fan – expressed concern that Caitlin, then an NCAA standout for the Hawkeyes, was going to thwart our Lady Gamecocks’ chances at another national championship. I too was a bit concerned. But as I told Mom, “As long as we can contain her [and we had the talent to do it], we would be fine.” We did and we were. Thank goodness.

Today, Caitlin is changing the dynamics of everything. Even sports analysts are conceding that though this is the beginning of the college football season and the NFL, all eyes are on the WNBA, particularly the Fever’s #22 guard.

Sports columnist and former Ball State offensive lineman Jason Lee Whitlock said: “We’re starting the football season which is clearly our most dominant relevant sport, and a woman sits above all the biggest stars in football. She’s got more heat, more relevance, more pull, more influence, and a more passionate fan base than anybody in the National Football League. Could you imagine that? How did we get here?”

It has not all been good though: Professional jealousies and worse from a few opposing team’s players and a handful of former WNBA ballplayers have risked sullying what is otherwise the most exciting season in the history of the WNBA. I won’t get into any of it except to say it is what it is, and you all can read about it to your heart’s content because it is making headlines from coast-to-coast.

Not that Caitlin’s the best ballplayer in the WNBA. She’s not, and she’ll be the first to tell anyone that she’s standing on the shoulders of a veritable legion of great women’s basketball players, and that she’s today playing with and against the best ballplayers in the nation. Many of those “best ballplayers” by the way are former Gamecocks like Caitlin’s hyper-talented teammate Aliyah Boston (again my personal favorite) and fellow Indiana Feverite Victaria Saxton; also A’ja Wilson, widely considered the front-runner for this year’s MVP; Zia Cooke; Laeticia Amihere; Tiffany Mitchell; Allisha Gray; Tyasha Harris; and another fan favorite Kamilla Cardoso.

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, one of my all-time favorite pro-athletes and an all-around sterling human being had this to say about Caitlin and the excitement and energy she’s bringing to the world of professional sports: “[Caitlin Clark] does everything right. I never spoke about her [before] because Angel [Reese] is my girl, but I can truthfully say—Caitlin Clark is for real. I’m watching her play and I’m trying to be upset, but she makes the right pass, makes the right play. Girls try to beat her up and she doesn’t really complain. She’s a great one, even early on [in her career].”

In a story appearing this week in Sports Illustrated, Shaq added: “She [Caitlin] is the real deal. Much respect to her and her family and the way she grew up and the way she plays. All little girls should watch all the WNBA players play but those two [Clark and Reese] are my favorite.”

Therein lies the formula, at least part of it. Caitlin was raised right. She’s also genetically gifted, innately talented, and extremely disciplined. What’s not to love.

– W. Thomas Smith Jr., a lifelong Gamecock, graduate of the University of South Carolina (BA- History) and a former adjunct professor (USC’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications); is a former U.S. Marine Infantry leader and a New York Times bestselling editor. Visit him at http://uswriter.com.