Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark has taken the sports world by storm. She is one of the most popular athletes in the world, and that popularity simply continues to rise.
Clark took the national stage during her college career with the Iowa Hawkeyes. She led the program to massive success and completely changed the sport of women’s college basketball. The increase in viewership that she brought to the sport has stuck even with her making the move to the WNBA.
Similarly to how she took women’s college basketball forward, Clark has brought thousands of new viewers to the WNBA. She has changed the game for women’s sports in general.
Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever reacts after a three pointer during the first half wam at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on August 16, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images
While Clark makes what she does look easy, it is a direct product of years of hard work. She has one of the best work ethics in sports and is constantly putting in the blood, sweat, and tears to become an all-time great.
Read more: Caitlin Clark Drops Major Hint About When She’ll Return to Fever Lineup
Lisa Bluder, Iowa’s women’s basketball coach during Clark’s tenure with the program, has now spoken out about the global superstar.
During an interview with The Athletic, Bluder revealed a big part of the equation to Clark’s rising legacy.
“Caitlin wanted to be her best,” Bluder said. “She wanted to be coached, as well as any of the really good players that I’ve been around. Every one of them, they weren’t know-it-alls. They knew they could get better and continued to get better.”
Bluder continued on, revealing more of the process and work ethic that Clark has gone through to become the player she is today.
“Are they willing to put in the work required to be great? Because there are a lot of people who want to be great without really working hard at it, especially in today’s society,” she said. “Caitlin Clark didn’t start out by shooting logo threes. She started out by shooting layups. And people have to remember that. It’s a process. And so I want that work ethic, but I also want a positive attitude in my players. I think having that person in your huddle who’s always negative, it just wears on people. And so having a positive attitude was really important to me.”
Read more: Fever Superstar Caitlin Clark Receives Huge Praise From NHL Legend
In her college years with the Hawkeyes, Clark put together career averages of 28.4 points, 8.2 assists, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals, while shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and 37.7 percent from three-point range.
She has played in 44 career games with the Fever so far and has averaged 19.2 points, 8.5 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals.
Clark still has work to do to get to where she wants to be. That hard work ethic that got her to this point isn’t going anywhere. She wants to be the best, and she’ll continue doing everything in her power to make that become a reality.
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