Caitlin Clark breaks down in tears when asked about her legacy after Iowa's championship loss to LSU
Emotions were high after Sunday's national championship game saw LSU defeat Iowa for the program's first-ever title.
It was a landmark moment for LSU. For Iowa, it was a painful end to a thrilling ride featuring one of the best individual seasons in college basketball history. After the game, Iowa's Caitlin Clark was asked about her impact on growing women's basketball and attracting young fans to play the game.
Her teammate and outgoing senior Monika Czinano first addressed the question and touted Clark as "a role model for little kids who want to grow up and be like her." When it was Clark's turn to answer, she was in tears.
"I want my legacy to be the impact that I can have on young kids and the people in the state of Iowa. I hope I brought them a lot of joy this season."
Caitlin Clark on her impact on women's basketball 💛🖤pic.twitter.com/LypVDzTwnh— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 2, 2023
"I think the biggest thing is it's really, really special," Clark said. "I don't think it's going to set in for me for quite some time. I want my legacy to be the impact that I can have on young kids and the people in the state of Iowa, and I hope I brought them a lot of joy this season. I hope this team brought them a lot of joy.
"I understand we came up one win short, but I think we have a lot to be proud of and a lot to celebrate. I was just that young girl, so all you have to do is dream, and you can be in moments like this."
Clark's legacy at Iowa likely isn't completely written. It is well-established. She's coming off a record-breaking offensive season that earned consensus National Player of the Year honors. She led Iowa to within one win of its first-ever national championship. She's a strong candidate to be drafted No. 1 overall in a stacked WNBA draft class that projects to include title-game foe Angel Reese and UConn's former National Player of the Year Paige Bueckers. But that's not until 2024.
A junior, Clark's not eligible to play in the WNBA next season. So she, Reese and Bueckers are expected to lead a strong class of seniors in the next NCAA campaign that will also feature Stanford's Cameron Brink and Louisville's Hailey Van Lith.
So while Sunday was painful, it's likely not the end of Clark's ride at Iowa. She has one more chance to secure the perfect ending and continue to provide joy to her fans back home.
