As if the Caitlin Clark hysteria couldn’t get any bigger, the Iowa star broke Pete Maravich’s all-time NCAA scoring record Sunday, after announcing earlier in the week that this would be her last season with the Hawkeyes.
Her decision to enter the WNBA draft has added another level of drama to the end of the college basketball season. It instantly added extra urgency for fans (and media) clamoring to witness (and cover) the final few games of her college career.
Clark entered the Ohio State game needing 18 points to pass Maravich, who scored 3,667 points in his three seasons at LSU from 1967-70. Clark did it with 0.3 seconds remaining in the first half with two free throws. She finished the game with 35 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds in Iowa’s 93-83 victory.
Sunday’s win showed what’s likely in store over the next few weeks. Fans lined up outside Carver-Hawkeye Arena hours before doors opened for the program’s 14th sellout in 14 home games this season. Resale prices on Sunday morning were higher than marketplace TickPick had ever seen for a women’s basketball game at any level.
The showdown and the surrounding atmosphere was basically a combination of all the big sports/culture crossovers of the last 12 months. Pitchman ‘Jake from State Farm’ was there, attending the game just like he did for Travis Kelce. Fox and ESPN had competing broadcasts on site, just like they did with Deion Sanders. Tom Brady and the Mannings sent videos cheering her on. All that was missing was Taylor Swift—though Clark did receive a custom vest from Kristin Juszczyk, whose designs first went viral via the popstar.
And Clark, a 22-year-old senior, delivered. She passed Maravich’s record 3,667 points with a free throw scored with less than a second remaining in the first half. The first commercial Fox aired after the record was broken was a Nike commercial celebrating the milestone.
“It’s hard for me to wrap my head around,” Clark said in an interview with Fox that aired before the game. “People are paying hundreds of dollars to get in the door to watch our games. It’s crazy, honestly.”
Clark would technically be eligible for one more college season, thanks to waivers offered to college athletes from the COVID-disrupted season, but she put that drama to bed on Thursday when she announced that she would enter the WNBA draft in April. She will almost certainly be the No. 1 pick by the Indiana Fever, and she’ll bring her 1+ million Instagram followers and a bevy of corporate partners.
“Now players are coming into the WNBA with huge followership, because of social media, because of NIL and because of the quality of the [college] game,” league commissioner Cathy Engelbert told Sporticoon Friday. She added that a “phenom” like Clark could impact the league’s business in myriad ways, from TV contracts to ticket sales and jersey patches.
Clark’s starting salary in the WNBA will be $76,535, but she’ll be eligible to make a lot more via the league. She could be eligible for up to $250,000 more via the league’s player marketing agreements (PMAs), and another $100,000 under the team marketing agreements (TMAs). There’s also a number of performance bonuses that could add to that haul.
But she’ll also make millions off the court. Her NIL portfolio includes deals with Nike, Gatorade, Buick, Topps, H&R Block and State Farm (which helps explain Jake’s appearance). Some of those companies told the Wall Street Journal recently that they wanted to maintain their relationships once she turns pro.
Most notable, perhaps, might be her shoe deal. Her Nike partnership is expiring at the end of her college career, and she’ll be a desirable free agent.
Clark will play at least two more games in her college career, and likely a handful more. The Hawkeyes will be a low seed in both the Big Ten Tournament, which begins March 6 and is already sold out, and the NCAA tournament, which begins March 20.