Clark honored as WBCA Co-Freshman of the Year
Caitlin Clark shares the honor with UConn’s Paige Bueckers.
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark blocks UConn guard Paige Bueckers during the Sweet Sixteen NCAA women’s basketball championship against UConn on Saturday, March 27, 2021 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The Hawkeyes were defeated by the Huskies, 92-72. Clark and Bueckers played together on the U-17 and U-19 Team USA basketball team in high school, and both say they are still close friends.
March 30, 2021
The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) has named Iowa’s Caitlin Clark as the WBCA Co-Freshman of the Year, it was announced Tuesday. UConn’s Paige Bueckers is the the other player sharing the honor.
Clark is the first Iowa women’s basketball player to earn a national freshman of the year honor from any outlet.
The West Des Moines native averaged 26.6 points, 7.1 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game in 30 games in the 2020-21 season. Her points per game total set an Iowa freshman record (men’s or women’s), which was also the fourth-highest points per game total in Iowa history (also men’s or women’s).
Clark is the one Division I student-athlete to record 12, 30-point games in the 2020-21 season, which was the best by a Division I freshman since 2000.
She led the nation in total assists (214), total points (799), points per game (26.6), field goals made (266), 3-pointers made (116), and ranked second in assists per game (7.1) and 3-pointers per game (3.87).
Her total points and assists she recorded in her freshman campaign shattered  Iowa’s previous freshman recoreds in those categories. Her point total in a season ranks third all-time in program history, and her assists total ranks fourth all-time in program history.
Clark had nine double-doubles in her freshman season, including a triple-double against Western Illinois Dec. 22. Her career-high 39 points at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Nebraska was the most any player has scored there in a single game, men or women.
Previous honors Clark has received have being Big Ten Freshman of the Year and first team All-Big Ten. She received Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor a record 13 times and named Big Ten Women’s Player of the Week five times, the most ever by a freshman.