Caitlin Clark named women’s basketball 2023 Naismith Trophy finalist
Caitlin Clark is right where she belongs. The 6-foot junior guard from West Des Moines was named one of four women’s finalists for the 2023 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy.
Clark joins South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist and Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley as one of the four finalists. Boston is looking to repeat as the Naismith Trophy winner. Fans can vote for Clark once each day by taking part in the Naismith Fan Vote.
Clark has enjoyed another magical season in Iowa City, averaging 26.8 points, 8.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Her points per game figure ranks third nationally, while her assists per game average tops the nation. It’s the second season in a row where Clark has led the nation in assists per game.
She became the first-ever player to record a triple-double in the Big Ten Tournament championship game. In Iowa’s record-setting 105-72 win over Ohio State in the league tournament’s title tilt, Clark racked up 30 points, 17 assists and 10 rebounds. Clark knocked down 5-of-11 3-pointers against the Buckeyes.
With that triple-double against Ohio State, Clark now has 10 during her career. That set a new Big Ten record for most career triple-doubles and is tied for second-best in NCAA women’s basketball history.
Clark has scored at least 20 points in 31 of Iowa’s 34 games this season, including 21 contests where she scored 25 or more points.
The finalist status from the Naismith Trophy is the latest in a long line of recognition for the Hawkeye superstar. Clark was recently announced as The Athletic’s National Player of the Year. Then, Clark was announced as an unanimous first-team All-American by the Associated Press.
The Dowling Catholic product was once again the Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Tournament MVP. Last season Clark was honored as the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year and as the Dawn Staley Guard of the Year Award recipient. Clark became the first student-athlete to win the Dawn Staley Award in consecutive seasons.
After topping 15th-seeded Southeastern Louisiana, 95-43, and No. 10 seed Georgia, 74-66, Iowa is back into the Sweet 16 for the ninth time in program history. The Hawkeyes play No. 6 seed Colorado on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN from Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash.
The winner would advance to the Elite Eight and meet either No. 5 seed Louisville or No. 8 seed Ole Miss in the Seattle 4 Region.
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