Caitlin Clark impacts Wabash Valley girls basketball, some teams more than others

On Jan. 10, Parke Heritage High School basketball player Addilee Jenkins saw the opportunity she had been anticipating all night.

And just like her idol — Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark, now playing in the Women’s National Basketball Association — she seized it.

CNHI 052024 JENKINS CLARK JERSEY

Addilee Jenkins, a junior basketball player at Parke Heritage High School in Rockville, was determined to get Caitlin Clark’s autograph and did so when she and her teammates went to Purdue University to see Clark take on the Boilermakers with her Iowa Hawkeyes on Jan. 10. Here, Jenkins poses for a photo with a signed Clark jersey at Rockville Elementary on Monday, May 20, in Rockville.

Clark’s University of Iowa women’s basketball team had just routed Purdue 96-71 inside Mackey Arena at West Lafayette. Thrust into a national spotlight almost as bright as the one shining on singer/songwriter Taylor Swift over the last two years, Clark posted 26 points — including six 3-pointers — plus 10 rebounds and 10 assists against the Boilermakers.

After the game, Clark remained on the floor to sign autographs for fans of all ages. Although security personnel tried to limit the number of spectators dashing onto the floor, the determined Jenkins had other ideas.

Jenkins came with a Parke Heritage group of about 28 people — consisting of high school players, coaches and student-managers in addition to a few middle school players — who filled two buses making the trip from Parke County to West Lafayette to see Clark play in person. Parke Heritage coach Mark Harper said parents of players fundraised to pay for their tickets and a portion of their meals.

“It was a special night,” said Harper, who is old enough to remember a young Larry Bird — first with Indiana State University, then with the NBA’s Boston Celtics — creating a similar buzz among basketball fans across the country. “Caitlin had a great game.”

“I originally started watching [Clark] during her freshman year because Iowa played against UConn and Paige Bueckers when both were freshmen,” Jenkins said.

So what’s kept Jenkins’ attention on Clark over the years?

“It looked to me like she was always trash-talking someone,” Jenkins said. “Then she’d shoot a 3-pointer and then you’d see a behind-the-back pass.”

Jenkins, who missed her own sophomore season in 2022-23 because of an ACL injury, tried this past season as a junior to emulate Clark’s style of play as much as possible.

“I like her vision [of the court],” Jenkins said. “Her vision [being able to see teammates make cuts that seem beyond Clark’s view] is something that I can’t even do half of what she does. … Obviously, everyone would like to shoot like her.”

This past season, the 5-foot-9 Jenkins earned the Wolves’ Most Improved Player award as she averaged 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest. As a team, Parke Heritage won the Wabash River Conference championship with a 7-0 record, went 23-4 overall and captured a Class 2A sectional title before losing to Eastern Hancock in the regional.

But back to Jan. 10, Jenkins was wearing a Caitlin Clark No. 22 replica jersey and she wasn’t going to leave Mackey Arena without obtaining Clark’s signature.

“I told everyone before we went there, ‘I’m not leaving until I get an autograph,’” Jenkins said.

Jenkins and a few teammates seated in what Harper described as “the nosebleed section” spotted Clark hanging around on the court after the final buzzer. So they sprung into action.

“I sprinted down the stairs, jumped over the security bar and ran across the court,” Jenkins said, adding that teammate Addison Ramsay got stopped by security personnel before she could join her on the court.

“We were watching [Jenkins’] trek down to the floor from up in the stands,” Harper recalled. “I was kinda shocked [that] she sorta grabbed Caitlin’s jersey from behind. Then Caitlin turned around.”

According to Jenkins and Harper, Clark noticed Jenkins wearing her replica jersey, politely spun Jenkins around and signed the back of it.

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Caitlin Clark signed this jersey for Parke Heritage High School junior Addilee Jenkins after a Iowa vs. Purdue game in West Lafayette on Jan. 10.

“There were people all around her,” Jenkins told the Tribune-Star. “I was like, ‘Thank you so much’ and she said, ‘You’re welcome.’ Then she kept going and probably signed hundreds more that night.”

• • •

Not only is Harper old enough to remember a young Larry Bird, he’s easily old enough to remember a young Stephanie White play for Seeger High School in West Central Indiana and then for Purdue, where she led the Boilermakers to the 1998-99 NCAA women’s championship. White, now 46, is head coach of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun.

With White at the helm, Connecticut opened the 2024 WNBA season with three straight victories. Two were over the Fever.

Meanwhile, the Fever have lost their first five regular-season games after Wednesday night’s tilt at the Seattle Storm. Clark, the WNBA’s No. 1 overall pick in mid-April, has started all five games and paced the Fever with an average of 17.8 points per outing, but she also led the team with 5.8 turnovers per game. That’s a number undoubtedly too high for her liking.

For the long run, WNBA executives hope Clark will attract more eyes to their product — the way Bird and Magic Johnson did for the NBA in the 1980s. But there’s never a guarantee that a highly touted rookie will reach the level of success expected of him or her over a career.

But if Clark does climb that mountain, and takes the Fever with her, high school and youth girls basketball coaches all over Indiana will be jumping for joy.

“One thing [about Clark] that inspired our team, above all else, is she’s a great competitor,” Harper said. “That sometimes spills out in her emotions and even court conduct.”

Harper noted that Clark’s competitive spirit has positively affected girls within Parke Heritage’s entire program, from kindergarten through 12th grade.

“I really do think we need to have people out there in the world that these kids can look at to inspire them to get to that next level,” Harper pointed out.

SPT Sun Fever Clark photo

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) is fouled from behind by Connecticut Sun guard Tiffany Mitchell (3) as she drives against forward Brionna Jones (42) during the fourth quarter of a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

While Parke Heritage enjoyed a successful 2023-24 season inspired by Clark — and Jenkins has already downloaded the WNBA app on her smartphone — other Wabash Valley high schools and youth programs haven’t been infected with Caitlin Clark fever yet.

There remains plenty of hope, however.

“We have not seen the impact yet because our basketball program just ended and will resume in the fall,” said Bobby Moore, chief executive officer of the Terre Haute Boys & Girls Club. “It should help increase the awareness of women in sports, which will be huge for all those girls who are participating.”

“Caitlin Clark is having a profound impact on the state of girls basketball not only in the state of Indiana but also in the nation,” Terre Haute North High School girls coach Nathan Dillion said. “When I first started coaching girls basketball at [Terre Haute] South in 2019, only one or two of my student-athletes could name a single WNBA player.

“Now most of my student-athletes can name more female college basketball stars than the men’s game, especially with the last two years being the pinnacle of Caitlin Clark.

“There’s already been an uptick in young girls who are interested in learning about the game because of Caitlin Clark,” Dillion said. “And what’s cool about the impact Clark has had is that it’s also adults who are flocking to the WNBA and the women’s game as well. It’s been fun watching the game grow in real time.”

Dillion remembers that when he was growing up, if someone made a difficult shot in gym class or threw a paper ball into a trash can, he or she might yell “Kobeeeeee” afterward. A few years later, the name might have updated to “Steph Currrrrry.”

“Now it’s ‘Caitlin Clark’ and that’s really fun to witness,” he said.

Meanwhile, West Vigo High School girls coach Jon Kirchoff believes the LSU-Iowa women’s game for the 2023 NCAA championship — when LSU star Angel Reese directed the John Cena “You Can’t See Me” hand gesture toward Clark — kick-started the recent fascination with females playing basketball at a high level.

“Now people are starting to take notice of women’s basketball,” Kirchoff said. “This is the first year I have ever gotten messages to buy a WNBA league pass, which I didn’t know that was even a possibility as I only watched the games on nationally televised channels. Also, Gainbridge [Fieldhouse] opening up the balcony for Fever games and almost selling out is amazing. My wife and I are already planning our trip to see them play.

“People and young girls are starting to watch the games, see her play, hear her story, and hopefully, look up to her and want to be like her on the basketball court.”

Still, Kirchoff would like Fever fever to spread a little more in the Wabash Valley, particularly at the school where he coaches.

“I haven’t seen a huge shift at the high school level yet,” he admitted. “But my hope is that there are young girls out there watching her play who will get started with basketball at a younger age. As a young girl, Caitlin’s dream was to play in the WNBA and she worked hard to get there.

“Maybe one day, the Wabash Valley will have one of those hard-working young girls and will be the next big star playing professional ball.”