In Indianapolis, Caitlin Clark entered her new home court on Thursday night, greeted by a sea of No. 22 apparel adorning the arena from top to bottom.

Despite a delayed arrival, the crowd was notably louder than usual as she was officially introduced to Fever fans. The cheers escalated when Clark sank her first layup with 7:00 remaining in the opening quarter, reaching a crescendo when she converted a three-point play shortly thereafter.

Clark managed to navigate through what was arguably the city’s most highly anticipated rookie debut since Peyton Manning’s induction into the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts in 1998, albeit not quite in the manner everyone had expected.

Following the game, Clark and former college teammate Gabbie Marshall posed for a photo together.

Predictably, the Atlanta Dream employed a defensive strategy against the league’s top draft pick, featuring tight coverage, attempts to disrupt her ball control, and a physical approach to unsettle her positioning.

Consequently, Clark missed her initial two shots, including her first four attempts from beyond the arc, while her new teammates struggled to capitalize on her precise passes into the paint, resulting in an early 18-8 deficit for the Fever.

However, Clark played a pivotal role in the Fever’s comeback from a double-digit shortfall, culminating in her crucial long-range three-pointer with 2:17 left in the third quarter, propelling Indiana to a 68-60 lead. Throughout the game, she proved to be both a sensation and a much-needed change for a franchise striving for a resurgence.

Still, she was a big hit and a welcome change for the Fever.

“People definitely know who I am,” she said before the game. “Sometimes it’s hard to go out and do what I want to do, but at the same time, I wouldn’t want it any other way. That’s the best way to grow women’s basketball. That’s the best way to get these fans excited about what we’re going to do here, so I think people they are just as excited as we are to play here. So I think more than anything, enjoy it, soak it in.”

Clark certainly tried to live up to her own advice.

Indiana opened the third deck of seating at Gainbridge Fieldhouse instead of covering it with curtains, and the attendance for Indiana’s only preseason home game was up way up from last year’s regular-season average of slightly more than 4,000 per game. Nearly two-thirds of the 17,000-plus seats were filled midway through the first quarter against the Atlanta Dream and judging from the attire, most came to see Clark – even for a rescheduled contest.

Indiana was initially scheduled to play Friday but moved the game when the NBA announced the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks would play Game 3 of their best-of-seven series in that time slot.

Yet the WNBA’s No. 1 overall draft pick has generated more interest and attention in women’s basketball than most of her predecessors, giving her a platform few others possess and she’s taking full advantage of it.

Her presence, coupled with others in perhaps the most heralded rookie class in WNBA history, prompted league commissioner Cathy Engelbert to announce earlier this week she’s poised to spend $50 million on charter flights over the next two seasons.

Meanwhile, the curiosity surrounding Clark has some орропents moving games to larger venues to accommodate ticket sales and a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2016 will now have 36 of its 40 regular-season games appear оп national television.

For Clark, playing in front of full arena has become the norm. For her teammates and coaches, this could be the start of something bigger than they could have imagined.

“This is what women’s basketball has always been about,” said Aliyah Boston, the WNBA’s 2023 rookie of the year. “I think it’s really great that fans are following their favorite players from college into the league because that’s the way we continue to grow.”

Especially when it comes to a generational-type player such as Clark, who has fully embraced her new home city.

“Honestly, I’m expecting a lot of people to be here, I’m expecting it to be loud, I’m expecting the fans to be really in it,” Clark said. “Like I know these fans are going to show up, and they know what’s going to be going on on the court. I think sometimes you can show up to arenas and they’re just sitting there. But like when I was in college, they were invested, they know what’s going on.
“I think it’s the same thing in the state of Indiana, people that support the Fever, that support the Pacers, they’re invested. So they’re going to cheer, they’re going to get after the refs.“