For the second consecutive year, Caitlin Clark secured the Naismith National Player of the Year Award after shattering the NCAA Division I women’s single-season and career scoring records. Leading Iowa to a second consecutive Final Four appearance, Clark’s outstanding performance solidified her status as one of the top players in collegiate basketball. The senior guard was honored in a ceremony Wednesday night in Cleveland, where the Hawkeyes will play in Friday’s semifinals against Connecticut. Clark is the first player to win the award twice since UConn’s Breanna Stewart did so from 2014 to 2016.
A generational figure in college basketball, Clark has drawn unprecedented interest in women’s sports. Her long 3-pointers and flashy passes have captivated the country and made her an undisputed leader of one of the top programs in the nation. Arenas are sold out, and television ratings for women’s basketball are at an all-time high, partly due to Clark’s presence. Her name has become synonymous with excitement and success, and she is considered among the top college athletes in earnings from sponsorships and likeness deals.
Clark has earned first-team all-American honors from ESPN, The Athletic, and the Associated Press. She is a favorite for the Wooden and Wade Trophy awards and, if she can lead the Hawkeyes back to the title game this season, has the chance to repeat as national player of the year. Her scoring average has dropped slightly from a year ago, but she is still the nation’s leading scorer and has improved her assist and rebound numbers.
The 6-foot Clark is known for her passion and intensity on the hardwood. She has a habit of barking at her teammates during practice and is prone to losing her cool if the Hawkeyes don’t get the ball up quickly enough. She has been called “a human highlight reel” by former coach and current ESPN analyst Mike Krzyzewski, but her teammates describe her as more than a star player. “She’s a great teammate, and she’s always there for us,” senior forward Luka Garza said.
The award was chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s national voting academy, which includes sports journalists, head coaches of Division I men’s and women’s basketball teams, and past winners of the Naismith Trophy. Clark received votes from fans on the Naismith website. The other nominees were USC freshman JuJu Watkins, UConn’s Paige Bueckers, and Stanford’s Cameron Brink. In addition to the Naismith award, Clark won the AP Player of the Year and will compete for the Wooden and WNBA draft titles this summer.
