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Caitlin Clark's scoring record makes her historic. Her greatness makes her unparalleled

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IOWA CITY, Iowa – After the record fell, but before the festivities really began, Caitlin Clark found herself on an island.

If she were going to make history, if she were to become the NCAA's all-time leading scorer in women's basketball, she would have known the overall plan for tonight.

Photos. A memorial basketball. A short interview for the fans in the arena.

But she didn't know about the video. She wasn't prepared for that.

With all eyes on her and five television cameras just feet in front of her, Clark leaned against the scorer's table — the same spot where she has checked in and out of games hundreds of times over the past four years — and looked at the large video board. She crossed her arms and braced herself. She promised herself she wouldn't cry tonight.

But then her parents Brent and Anne appeared on screen first with her golden retriever, Bella, and then both of her brothers, Blake and Colin.

“A huge milestone, a huge number,” said Anne. “But remember, it's all the smiles, memories and so many special moments that lie behind that number that are yours for life.”

Brent was the first person to put a basketball in Clark's hands. Her first coach. The person who wouldn't let her shoot those long-range 3s as a little kid because she wasn't strong enough…yet. He made her shoot again and again. Torture at that time. In retrospect, a gift.

Her mother is the one whose mind and memory are most similar to Caitlin's, they say. Her brothers are the two who made her stronger as a child and have now served as confidantes and best friends in her rise to the top of the sport. In a whirlwind of a year, Clark's family has been her refuge and her protection.

So on a night that existed in honor of Caitlin Clark the Player and all she has accomplished in and for Iowa City over the past four seasons, this was the moment that finally felt too big. Her family, who in real life sat twenty feet to her right, stared down at her from the big screen above the court and remembered what this journey has meant.

From the scorer's table, Clark tugged at the neck of her jersey and wiped her eyes and nose.

“There have been so many famous and cool people, and people I idolized growing up, who say a lot of nice things about me, but when they're people who have supported you through the ups and downs and been there every step of the journey been on his journey – whether it was good or bad – and seen the hard days, seen the good days,” Clark said, “that's when it means the most.”

Everyone knew the record would fall Thursday night against Michigan. Clark was only 8 points away, which is only a decent quarter of hoops for her. But even during the warm-up, her shot had a little extra juice. She was loose. In a good way. Still, she felt the pressure. Also in a good way.

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder has seen this version of her senior star before. Clark doesn't just love these moments; she exists best in these moments. That's why Clark has all the game winners, the clutch shots and the big plays. That's why Bluder and assistant Jan Jensen knew last season during the Big Ten tournament title game — when Clark posted a triple-double (30 points, 17 assists, 10 rebounds) — that something special would happen in March, and maybe April. can happen. Clark then operated in that alternate plane that she can sometimes occupy. Once she gets there, she can carry the rest of the Hawkeyes with her. That game led to their NCAA tournament run to the national championship game in Dallas, but it started with a historic performance from Clark in Minneapolis.

On Thursday night at Iowa's home arena, with 8 points left to set the scoring record, Clark was back on that plane.

She hit her first shot: a spin to the baseline of the glass.

Six points to go.

She hit her second shot: a 3, right to left, off a perfect Gabbie Marshall screen.

Three points to go.

Then, in a moment that seemed almost too perfect, Clark had the ball in her hands and was dribbling in transition along the left side of the floor. She has destroyed opponents in this exact manner countless times. On any Clark scouting report there will almost certainly be a section in all caps: LIKES SHOOTING TRANSITION 3S STEPS TO HER LEFT. DON'T LET HER TAKE A DRIBBLE TO THE LEFT. EVERYWHERE IN TRANSITION IS WITHIN HER REACH.

Clark crossed half court, took a dribble to the left and launched. She watched the ball hit the bottom of the net, then turned to the crowd and bowed.

The record was hers.

“You all knew I was going to shoot a logo 3 for the record,” Clark joked after the match. “Come on.”

The arena erupted. Bluder didn't call a timeout quickly enough, so Clark playfully complained that her tired legs had to play some defense after that shot. But when Bluder finally called a timeout, Iowa simply spent the meeting in silence so Clark could think.

Of course, the fans did not remain silent. They stood tall and paid tribute to the player who gave the program its first Final Four berth and now a scoring record. This is why they came, why most of them had spent hundreds of dollars to be in the arena this evening.

Because when Clark is in the arena, history can be made. And on Thursday the time had come. Clark scored a single-game program record 49 points, recorded a career-best nine 3-pointers and led No. 4 Iowa to a 106-89 victory against Michigan. She now has 3,569 career points.

As the video ended, Clark met her teammates at half court. They wore custom Nike shirts that read: “You break it, you own it.” They handed out copies of a Des Moines Register (Clark's hometown newspaper) with a full-page photo of Clark with a bold headline: “UNPARALLELED.” They posed for a team photo and went crazy when Clark started dribbling her memorial ball. (What else would you expect Clark to do with a ball?)


Caitlin Clark signs autographs after beating Michigan in a record-breaking performance. (Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

As the festivities continued on the field, children lined up along the benches and bleachers leading out of the arena. With posters and T-shirts in hand, they didn't sit still. The screams of “Caitlin! Caitlin! Caitlin!” have become the postgame soundtrack for Iowa women's hoops and, flanked by her two guards, Clark weaves her way through as many as possible after each game.

It was no different after she made history, after a video on the video board made her cry. As her impact and fame have grown, she has tried to remain as accessible as possible, whatever that looks like. She tries to draw as much as possible and take as many selfies as possible. For her, this is the most important part of her postgame routine. It feels all too recent in some ways.

It was just over a decade ago that Clark attended her first WNBA game. She was 11 or 12 and Brent drove her to Minneapolis to see a Lynx game. The franchise was in the midst of a run that included four titles in seven seasons, and the Lynx were the closest team to the Clarks' home in West Des Moines. For Caitlin, it was a chance to see Maya Moore play in person for the first time.

After the game, Lynx players held an event on the field. Clark, seeing an opening, ran outside and hugged Moore. She didn't have a pen or marker or anything for Moore to sign, but she wanted to be near her. I just wanted to be in the aura of Moore's greatness.

“Ten seconds can mean a lot in someone's life,” Clark said.

At 22, now one of the country's most prominent athletes, Clark still thinks about that moment.

On Thursday night, fans paid hundreds (several thousand) dollars to enter Carver-Hawkeye Arena and watch Clark make history, just to be in the aura of Clark's greatness. She wants them to remember that. But she also wants to remember the ten seconds she might have with them. She wants them to remember the joy she and her teammates have and the fire she plays with.

When she signed her final autograph and ran down the tunnel, Clark did so as the unparalleled leader in women's basketball, a player whose play helped transform the game.

She was still surrounded by media and security, but Clark has now placed herself on a completely different island.

(Top photo of Caitlin Clark: Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

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