Inside Caitlin Clark’s unforgettable return to Iowa: A day of love, cheers and legacy
The sold-out exhibition game in Iowa City gave Hawkeye fans one more chance to celebrate their hometown superstar. And Caitlin Clark delivered the show she promised.
IOWA CITY — Basketball fans waited a long time to see Caitlin Clark in her element — on the court, playing with that unmatched competitive edge she’s always had.
It had been since Sept. 25, more than seven months ago.
222 days, to be exact.
Fitting because on Sunday, it was all about No. 22 back in Iowa. And they got to enjoy her first game in 222 days because left leg tightness kept her out of the Indiana Fever’s first exhibition game the day before.
“I feel ready to go,” she said 90 minutes before tip-off. “That's why it was so hard not to play yesterday. You wait and you prepare for a moment. I feel like I've worked so hard to get to where I am and ready for a season and put in the most amount of time I've ever put in. I'm in the gym a lot. So you just itch to get out on the court. So I'm excited to be out there today. I think it'll be really fun.”
Clark’s offseason included several fun work opportunities, like filming an interview for David Letterman’s show on Netflix and a speaking engagement at The Masters, allowing her to attend for the first time. But otherwise, she mostly stayed in Indy and was in the gym almost every day.
Sunday’s exhibition game served as a way to shake off the rust, get up and down the floor, and return to a competitive stage.
But this wasn’t just any preseason game.
As part of a league initiative, several WNBA teams played exhibitions at college campuses — the alma maters of their key players.
For the Fever, that meant a first-ever visit to Iowa. And it shouldn't be the last.
“It allows fans who may not have opportunities to get to WNBA cities to experience WNBA basketball,” said Fever head coach Stephanie White. “It rewards these incredible fan bases who have been such a piece of the fabric of college women's basketball and players like Caitlin, like Aaliyah Boston, and certainly Kelsey Mitchell — they can return home. And all of these people can get to enjoy them again.”
Tickets, only made available to Iowa season-ticket holders, sold out in 42 minutes. ESPN not only televised the game but sent its top women’s basketball crew. A one-hour pregame show — “WNBA Countdown” — added to the spectacle.
(Side note: Highly recommend watching this Clark walk-and-talk with Holly Rowe.)
Clark’s much-anticipated return to the University of Iowa coincided with her return to basketball after her longest extended break since middle school. Think about that.
From the NCAA title game straight into her rookie WNBA season and a grueling early schedule, she had been in the spotlight non-stop. The Fever, remember, played 11 games in the first 20 days last season.
Feature story from before the game: A homecoming fit for a star: Caitlin Clark returns to Iowa with Fever
The team arrived in Cedar Rapids late Friday, giving Clark time to catch up with familiar faces. This was a short trip — just 24 hours — so she planned to make the most of it.
She teased pregame that she’d put on a show — and she delivered.