Presumptive #1 pick in next year's WNBA Draft Caitlin Clark isn't ready to confirm her place in the draft class just yet. "I'm going to know when I need to know. I think it's very similar to my college decision. It's like I'm in the recruiting process again. It's really not something I think about every day or let weigh on me. I'm focused on helping this team be the best they can be. The biggest thing is I'm just going to trust my gut. I'm not going to do a lot of research on what's better. I'm going to trust my gut and go with that," Clark said this week.
Clark, who turns 22 in February 2024, is part of the final class of players who can declare for a fifth year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She has been one of the best, if not the best, players in women's college basketball during her time at Iowa. She won National Player of the Year last year and was second in scoring average as well as first in assists and made threes. Players have until 48 hours after their final game of the season to declare for the draft.
Can Clark Finish With A Championship?
Winning a championship in 2023/24 would likely go a long way toward Clark leaving for the WNBA. The Hawkeyes came so close last season, but a Herculean solo effort from Clark couldn't overcome LSU. Iowa enter the season as ESPN's #6 team. They retain three of five starters from last season but the losses of Monika Czianno and McKenna Warnock will be felt significantly. Furthermore, big transfers and injury returns elsewhere in the Big Ten mean that conference play only got harder.
In all likelihood, Iowa doesn't make it back to the National Championship game. There are just too many teams above them in the pecking order. ESPN's preseason top-25 has LSU, UConn, UCLA, Ohio State, and Utah ahead of the Hawkeyes. However, maybe Clark inspires a Last Dance to go out on top. The season is now only a month away so we'll soon have the answers to all these questions. Iowa hosts Fairleigh Dickinson in their season opener on November 6.
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