Q. What is one lesson you have learned in your time at Iowa that you will plan to use in the future?
CAITLIN CLARK: One lesson I’ve learned? I’ve learned a lot. I think first and foremost, like going into my senior year, the thing I think about is time goes so fast, and being able to soak in every single second. I think that’s how I’m viewing this my senior year. I’m kind of treating it like my last. I don’t know what I’m going to do going forward, and I don’t want to have any regrets in that regard.
But I feel like I was just a freshman, and so I think the biggest thing is to just enjoy every single second. Because a lot of these moments are going to be some of the best moments of my life, and I get to share that with my best friends.
And Coach Bluder always said be where your feet are, so truly being able to live by that, whether I’m in class, whether I’m doing something outside of school in basketball, or if I’m here at practice or at a game, be 100 percent invested in that and give it your all. Because it goes so fast, and these are the moments you’re going to want to remember forever.
Q. You built up a ton of chemistry with Monika from just a passing connection. How is that connection with Addi O’Grady, Hannah Stuelke and any of the others?
CAITLIN CLARK: Yeah, I think it’s definitely a work in progress. I don’t think it can really be put into words how different it is to have a post and a guard combo that get three years to play with each other. If you watched me and Monika our first year, there was quite a few miscues and she wouldn’t always slide to where I wanted her. She would get hit in the face with the ball, she wouldn’t know if it’s coming. I think it’s just a work in progress.
I think the biggest thing for me that I’m trying to live by is just instilling confidence in them. They understand how great Monika was, but they don’t need to be Monika. That’s something we always talk about is they’re going to be different. They shouldn’t be expected to be Monika. They can do things that Monika couldn’t and they can’t do some things that Monika could. They’re just different.
But they bring a lot of really good things to this team, and I think that’s the biggest thing for myself as a point guard is you just have to continue to give them the ball. If they make a mistake, if they turn it over, whatever it is, take the blame, but continue to give them the ball. Because we need our posts to be really successful, and I honestly think all three of our posts, Sharon, A.J., and Addi have been really good. And Hannah plays there at times. So they’re competing every day in practice and that’s all you would want.
Q. The last three years have shown that even if it’s the same roster, same people, each season is kind of its own story, own identity. Along those lines, how important is it for this team to establish its own identity for this season even though some of the same players are back? Is that challenge obviously more difficult coming off of what you guys did last year?
CAITLIN CLARK: Yeah, I mean, I think that the biggest thing is getting the group to understand we don’t have to be exactly who we were last year. That’s not going to be a smart thing to think that we’re going to accomplish because that’s not how we’re going to be most successful.
This is a new team, new players that are going to have new roles. Even Kate and Gabbie, they’re going to have to move into more prominent roles scoring the basketball just because we lose McKenna and Monika.
Like you said, you can’t expect it to be similar to last year. You don’t want it to be. You want it to be different. You want it to be different for this group. Every journey is different.
I think the biggest thing I’ve understood playing three years is there’s always ups and downs. There’s always hard losses. There’s always great wins. But that’s basketball. That’s a competitive sport.
Somebody who’s a senior now really needs to be a leader and help those younger kids understand, because when you’re younger, you can think the world is ending when you lose a tough game or things like that.
But really I would say last year, some of those hard losses we had at the beginning of the year, whether it’s K-State or NC State, those are honestly the reason that we were a whole lot better and had hard conversations and grew as a team.
I think the biggest thing is getting this team to understand that we need to be different. We’re going to be different. We don’t have to be anything that we were last year, but we can still be a really, really successful basketball team.
Q. Did your foreign trip help you get a head start on what you just touched on?
CAITLIN CLARK: Yeah, absolutely. I think more than anything it was good to spend time with each other. We spend a lot of time with each other anyway outside of basketball, but when you get to travel and do new things and experience new cultures together, that’s really good. Obviously our competition wasn’t tremendous, but you still get to go out there and work on things and see if it works.
We’ve put in a lot of different stuff this year that we think is going to help us play with a confident attitude; what your role was last year, it’s going to be different this year. That’s just how it has to be. Things are going to change, they have to change for us to be successful.
Q. Were you effectively trying to persuade Kate and Gabbie to come back for another year? And just in general, what are their impacts to this program?
CAITLIN CLARK: Yeah, I would say I definitely tried to persuade them. Obviously they’re two of my best friends. Gabbie to me was a little bit more of a lock to come back. Kate, not so much. But Kate was probably just trying to be dramatic and wanted me to beg her so she felt better about herself.
I’m kidding.
But yeah, I think the biggest thing is Kate is a really, really good leader, and is somebody that you want on your team no matter what sport it is, no matter what age group it is, no matter male or female, she will just lead. That’s the type of person she is. She attracts people to follow her.
One of the best teammates I’ve ever been around.
Then obviously Gabbie, one of the best shooters, but I don’t think she gets enough credit for her defense. I told her she needs to be Defensive Player of the Year, and then she’s not like, Nah, Caitlin, that’s for you. It’s your last one to get. And I just started laughing. So we joke about that now.
But no, she’s one of our — she takes the challenge of guarding the best player every single game. And you know, the South Carolina game, for example, she doesn’t score a single point, maybe shoots the ball one, two, three times — I don’t even remember exactly — but she defended every single possession, and I think she played 38 minutes. That’s just the type of player and teammate that Gabbie is. She’s going to give her all. She’s not going to hang her head if she doesn’t get her opportunities on offense, but she’s going to give everything she has on defense.
At the same time I think that needs to change this year. We have to find ways to get Gabbie the ball and get her shots because she’s one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen as we all saw at the end of the season.
Kate, too, I think they both are going to have to take a step forward on offense and take a little bit more of a prominent role because we lose two people that gave us a lot on that side of the ball.
Q. I want to ask about the Crossover in a couple weeks, a game that doesn’t even count on the record but you have 50,000 people coming to that game. How excited are you to be a part of that?
CAITLIN CLARK: Yeah, I’m super excited. Obviously a super historic event that probably will only happen once. I think we’re around close to 50,000 tickets, which is tremendous, and hopefully we have a late push to get that up even higher.
But yeah, I’ve been checking the weather, 30-day forecasts. Are those something you should trust? I don’t know. But it looks good.
No, I think on Sunday is when I’ll start really watching the weather, but I’m excited.
Then obviously all the proceeds are going to the children’s hospital, which is super cool, too, so it’s for a really great cause.
But at the same time, it’s an opportunity for us to get better. Like this is our scrimmage. We get to go out there and compete and work on things. I’m going to plan on shooting two air balls just because of the wind.
But yeah, it’s incredible. I’m super excited. I think just watching Nebraska volleyball and what they were able to do. Obviously ours is going to be a little bit on a smaller level, but still, we’re going to be able to break the women’s basketball record for most people at a game.
Shout-out to Coach Bluder. She was kind of the mind behind that, and obviously Beth has supported us and wanted us to accomplish something great like that.
I’m super excited, yeah. It can’t come fast enough.
Q. How do you envision your role changing, if at all, this year for this team with maybe a little bit less size, more scoring?
CAITLIN CLARK: Yeah, I think honestly just trying to be the same player that I was last year. A lot of the stuff that I’ve worked on in the offseason with Tania has been good. I think working more in the half court. Obviously we kind of know I thrive in transition offense. That’s where I like to score, that’s where I like to get the ball, and that’s hard for the defense to guard you and pick you up there.
But in the half court just coming off a screen, setting up screens, I think I understand people are going to be physical, they’re going to face guard me. And I wasn’t always comfortable at times last year coming off a screen and being able to shoot the ball right away. So I think those are some of the biggest things at that I’ve worked on.
But also I think just being a leader. Losing Monika and McKenna, those are two huge voices we had on our team, and Kate can’t do everything for us all the time. So being able to lead, to speak up, be a voice for the younger people, somebody that younger girls can lean on, because I’ve been through it.
I think that’s the biggest area that I can grow in and continue to just lead and help this team get better in that area because I don’t want Kate to have to do everything. So I think me and Gabbie can definitely step up and use our voice a little bit more.
Q. How have you been able to process all the off court things that have happened to you last in the several months?
CAITLIN CLARK: Yeah, I think — first of all, I feel like it was just April, so it’s weird that I’m sitting here at this podium. But I think I’ve just tried to enjoy every single thing and every opportunity that I’ve had because they’re very unique. I don’t know if I’ll be able to have a lot of those opportunities for the rest of my life.
Yeah, I think that’s just the biggest thing is just soaking it in. It kind of takes you back for a second because I feel like I was just that young girl that was playing basketball, and I still feel like a very normal individual. But I can’t really, especially in the state of Iowa, go out in public without being recognized.
It’s always only really good things, and it’s cool to see people rally behind this team, whether it’s just in our state, but across the country. I’ll be traveling and people will even recognize me for who I am, and it’s cool to see the amount of attention you brought to women’s basketball and our team brought to women’s basketball.
Going into this year I hope to continue to do that and show people, like, this is something you should continue to watch. And not only watch Iowa women’s basketball. There’s tremendous basketball all across the country. It’s been that way for a while, but I’m glad they’re just catching on. Yeah, I hope they stay.
Q. You’re probably going to downplay this, but I’m going to try anyway. You’re about 800 points away from Kelsey Plum’s all-time scoring record in a career. Is that something you think about at all?
CAITLIN CLARK: I mean, I knew I was probably going to have a chance to break it, but it’s not something I’m going to be, like, actively seeking out. Obviously I’m sure our coaches will tell me if I’m at a game where I get close to that number, which would probably be one of our regular season games or in conference tournament. But I think if I just continue to be the player I am and do the things I’ve always done, that will come.
Yeah, it’s not anything — like, I’ll live just as happy a life if I never break Kelsey Plum’s record. But I loved Kelsey Plum growing up. She obviously took Washington, which was a team very similar to Iowa who was really good. Had a great coach in Mike Neighbors. Had really great players and really hadn’t been to the Final Four. And took a program that wasn’t — hadn’t always been there, and they did it.
So she was somebody that I kind of idolized, so it’s cool to kind of be in that position. She’s somebody I even watch still in the WNBA as she plays for the Aces, has had a really successful career, and one of my favorite players.
So it’s not something I’m counting down the numbers to at all, and if I never get there, that’ll be fine. But I know it’s a possibility for me this year.