Reusse: On Caitlin Clark and Iowa Fans

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Caitlin Clark stayed home, to the delight and awe of Iowa women's basketball fans

The sophomore guard was not at her best, but still scored 32 points to help the Hawkeyes avoid an upset against the Gophers.

www.startribune.com

Reusse:

It was not Caitlin at her best, but she came out storming and bursting to the basket to open the fourth quarter. The Gophers' Deja Winters went bonkers in the fourth quarter, finishing with 30 points, but the final was Iowa, 88-78, with 32 from Clark.

One superlative fits her best: relentless.

This is an athlete from Dowling Catholic in West Des Moines that turned down the best efforts of then-coach Muffet McGraw to bring her to Notre Dame's outstanding program.

Caitlin Clark stayed home, which counts here in Iowa perhaps more than any place you're likely to attend a big-time college event.

 

[ISUnorth]

If daddy Joens hadn't started a huge feud with the Iowa staff, Iowa City native Ashley Joens would likely be starting for the Hawks at small forward. So much animosity that Iowa didn't even offer her. She's within a couple games of becoming Iowa States all time leading scorer and closing in on 1000 rebounds in the next week of so also. Missed on a 2000/1000 player would have made them pretty formidable. If she was a Hawkeye with Clark and Czinano they would be Final Four bound IMHO.

Interesting that Reusse played up the home state love. It does seem to be an Iowa thing but a lot of the time on the WBB side it surfaces as fans bemoaning why Iowa or ISU didn't offer the little 5'-3" small town darling that did great in the HS tournament. Iowa's do love their small town pint sized gals. These gals sometimes end up doing okay at a mid-major but they aren't Big 10 or Big 12 level players.