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The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan
The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Iowa to retire Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 jersey

Athletic Director Beth Goetz made the announcement at the team’s end-of-season celebration on Wednesday.
Chris Meglio, Sports Reporter
April 10, 2024
Ayrton Breckenridge
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark signals for a 3-pointer during a NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen game between No. 1 Iowa and No. 5 Colorado at MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y., on Saturday, March 30, 2024. The Hawkeyes defeated the Buffaloes, 89-68.

After having arguably the most esteemed college basketball career in Iowa history, it’s only right that No. 22 will hang in the rafters at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa women’s basketball will retire Caitlin Clark’s jersey, Athletic Director Beth Goetz announced at the team’s end-of-season celebration on Wednesday. She will be the third women’s basketball player to have their Iowa  jersey retired, joining Michelle Edwards’ No. 30 jersey and Megan Gustafson’s No. 10 jersey.

“It’s super incredible,” Clark said after the jersey retirement announcement. “It’s something I’m very thankful for. I’ve had some amazing teammates over the course of my four years here … That number holds a lot of weight, far beyond my name, and I’m just super grateful.”

The guard who hails from West Des Moines averaged 28.4 points, 8.2 assists, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals while shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 37.7 percent from three, and 85.2 percent from the free throw line over her four-year tenure with the Hawkeyes. She finished her career as college basketball’s all-time leading scorer with 3,951 points, breaking Pete Maravich’s record of 3,667 points that stood for over 54 years. Clark is also second all-time, men’s or women’s, with 548 made threes and 1,144 assists.

Her list of accolades is second-to-none: two-time Naismith Player of the Year; four-time AP All-American; three-time Big Ten Player of the Year; three-time NCAA All-Region; two-time All-Big Ten; two-time Big Ten Tournament MVP; two-time NCAA All-Tournament; two-time Wooden Award winner; Iowa’s all-time scoring, assist, and three-point leader; Big Ten’s all-time scoring, assist, and three-point leader; NCAA Tournament all-time scoring leader; and, of course, the NCAA all-time scoring leader.

Clark and Iowa women’s basketball set numerous viewership records over the past two years. They first set the women’s college basketball viewership record in their 2023 National Championship loss to LSU, averaging 9.9 million viewers on ABC — up 103 percent from the 2022 final.

Iowa’s game against Ohio State — the game Clark broke Maravich’s all-time scoring record — was the most-watched women’s college basketball regular season game with an average of 3.39 million viewers on FOX.

Then came the Big Ten Tournament, where the Iowa vs. Nebraska championship game on March 12 was the most-watched women’s college basketball game on CBS with an average of 3.02 million viewers. BTN’s viewership throughout the tournament went up 141 percent from last year.

The highly anticipated 2024 NCAA Women’s Tournament saw Iowa set the viewership record in three straight games.

The Iowa-LSU rematch in the Elite Eight drew 12.3 million average viewers, the Iowa-UConn matchup in the Final Four drew 14.43 million average viewers, and the national championship game between Iowa and South Carolina drew 18.9 million average viewers, which was the most-watched basketball game — men’s and women’s, college and pros — since 2019. And for the first time ever, the women’s college final drew more viewers than the men’s college final.

Along with TV ratings came in-person viewership as well. For the first time in program history, Iowa women’s basketball sold out its 2023-24 season tickets. The team sold out all but two games for the entire season — home and away — with the two non-sellout games taking place in south Florida. The women’s Big Ten Tournament also sold out for the first time in its 30-year history.

Clark will represent the Hawkeyes in the WNBA as she’s expected to be selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever. The Fever will hold 36 of its 40 total games on national television for the 2024 season, which is the most of all WNBA teams.

The 2024 WNBA Draft will take place on April 15 at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

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