It didn’t take long for the University of Iowa to make a decision regarding the legacy of perhaps their greatest athlete.
Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz announced on Wednesday that the school will retire Caitlin Clark’s number 22.
“With almost as much certain as Caitlin’s shot from the logo would drop though the net to the roar of this excited Carver crowd, we always knew your jersey would be hanging in the rafters one day.… It’s a privilege for me to now make that official. You will be the last to wear No. 22,” Goetz said to Clark in an honorary celebration of this year’s Hawkeyes on Wednesday.
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Caitlin Clark of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates after the win against the LSU Tigers during the finals of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on April 1, 2024, in Albany, New York. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
She will be the third women’s basketball player in program history to have her number in the rafters, joining Megan Gustafson (No. 10) and Michelle Edwards (No. 30).
Clark will more than likely be the first pick of the WNBA Draft on Monday night after a record-setting career.
Perhaps no record she set is as prestigious as her becoming the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer for both men’s and women’s basketball. She surpassed Kelsey Plum on the women’s side, and Pete Maravich on the men’s side, hanging up her shoes with 3,951 total points.
Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark celebrates after the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on March 10, 2024, at the the Target Center in Minneapolis. (Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“It’s super incredible. Something I’m very thankful for,” Clark said about the honor. “Obviously, I’ve had some amazing teammates over the course of my four years here. There’s been a lot really good 22s that have come before me and played for this program, whether it was Kathleen Doyle or Sam Logic. That number holds a lot of weight far beyond my name and I guess I’m just really grateful, and it will be a special day when it happens…
“You all inspired me just as much as I inspired you, and you allowed me to live out my dream every single day. For that I’m forever thankful.”
Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark cheers on teammates during the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Championship game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Target Center on March 10, 2024 in Minneapolis. (Angelina Katsanis/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
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Clark’s career ended on a perhaps sour note, as the Hawkeyes lost in the national championship for a second year in a row, this time to No. 1 South Carolina, who completed an undefeated season.
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