It’s been a year for Caitlin Clark to remember.
In February, she became the NCAA’s all-time women’s scoring leader, finishing her career with the Iowa Hawkeyes with 3,951 points.
Clark swept the conference and national awards, adding to her already impressive trophy case. She then led Iowa to the national championship game for the second straight season, but they lost to the South Carolina Gamecocks.
While Clark chose to forgo her fifth season with the Hawkeyes to head to the WNBA, she will return to Iowa City in February when the program retires her No. 22 jersey on, fittingly, February 2.
Iowa announced the news Wednesday on social media.
To the rafters.
2.2.25@CaitlinClark22 x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/Qjq1Y1VfrZ
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) December 18, 2024
“I’m forever proud to be a Hawkeye and Iowa holds a special place in my heart that is bigger than just basketball. It means the world to me to receive this honor and to celebrate it with my family, friends and alumni. It will be a great feeling to look up in the rafters and see my jersey alongside those that I’ve admired for so long,” Clark said in a statement released by Iowa.
Clark’s first season in the WNBA picked up where she left off with Iowa. Selected first overall by the Indiana Fever, Clark almost immediately became the sport’s most discussed player, with no shortage of discourse and takes surrounding the 22-year-old phenom.
She was named a 2024 WNBA All-Star, won the 2024 Rookie of the Year award, and led the league in assists. Clark also helped the Fever get to the WNBA Playoffs for the first time since 2016. She finished her rookie season averaging 19.2 points per game, which tied her with Kelsey Mitchell for the highest PPG on the Fever.
Clark’s return to Iowa City to have her number retired will also see Iowa face the USC Trojans. Sophomore Trojans guard Juju Watkins has drawn comparisons to Clark, as she was named a unanimous All-American after her freshman season that saw Watkins win Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
