University of Iowa basketball standout Caitlin Clark is embarking on her next journey following a hard-fought loss in the NCAA women’s final for the second consecutive year.

Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes succumbed to the South Carolina Gamecocks 75-87 in the NCAA women’s basketball championship in Cleveland on Sunday.

The contest marked the culmination of Clark’s remarkable college basketball career.

In the course of this season alone, the 22-year-old Iowa native shattered the NCAA all-time scoring record, a milestone untouched for over 50 years, and ascended to the summit as the NCAA women’s basketball career scoring leader.

Here are three key points about what lies ahead for Clark.

1. She’s headed to the WNBA

Clark made headlines earlier this year when she announced her decision to forgo her final college basketball season and enter the WNBA draft.

Expected to be the top pick in the 2024 draft, Clark is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to begin her professional basketball journey.

The Indiana Fever hold the coveted first pick in this year’s draft.

Scheduled for Monday, April 15, the 2024 WNBA draft will take place in Brooklyn and will be broadcast live on ESPN.

2. But first, she could spend the summer in Paris

Before making her WNBA debut, Clark may have the opportunity to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Although invited to the Olympic training camp in April, conflicting dates with the NCAA women’s Final Four weekend prevented her attendance, as reported by ESPN.

If selected, Clark could compete for Team USA in either the traditional 5-on-5 basketball or the 3×3 event, both of which the U.S. won gold in at the Tokyo Games.

USA Basketball has yet to announce the finalized rosters, but competition for spots includes WNBA stars and former Olympians such as Brittney Griner, Breanna Stewart, Ariel Atkins, Chelsea Gray, A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, and Jewell Loyd, according to ESPN.

The Paris Olympics are scheduled to take place from July 26 to August 11.

3. Expectations are high for her impact on the WNBA

Supporters of women’s basketball are hoping that Clark has the same impact on the WNBA that she did on women’s collegiate basketball.

After Sunday’s game, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said she hopes Clark can “elevate” the sport in the WNBA.

“I think she’s the sole responsibility of our game being raised to this level of playing, as many women’s games basketball games were on national television,” Staley said of Clark. “Every time she plays, she seems to outdo herself. There’s not a lot of people that can demand and command that kind of attention, and Caitlin’s one of them.”

Staley continued, “I know her shoulders are heavy because of what she has to give to women’s basketball. I just want to say we’re thankful. We’re thankful that she chose to play basketball. We’re thankful for the way she’s handled all of it. Her next step is the WNBA — I do think she can be that person that elevates us.”

The recent March Madness games featuring Caitlin Clark have shattered viewing records, signaling a surge in interest in women’s basketball.

Iowa’s victory over the University of Connecticut drew an average of 14.2 million viewers on ESPN, marking the most-watched women’s basketball game in history and the largest audience for any ESPN basketball broadcast.

This milestone follows the previous record set by the Iowa vs. Louisiana State University game, which attracted 12.3 million viewers.

lark’s exceptional performance and record-breaking achievements at Iowa have coincided with a notable increase in ticket prices for home games, rising over 160% compared to the previous season.
Expressing her gratitude, Clark acknowledged the growing interest in women’s basketball throughout her collegiate career.

“When you’re given an opportunity, women’s sports just kind of thrives,” Clark said Sunday in a post-game press conference. “I think that’s been the coolest thing for me on this journey. We started our season playing in front of 55,000 people in Kinnick Stadium, and now we’re ending it playing in front of probably 15 million people or more on TV. It just continues to get better and better and better. That’s never going to stop.”