With less than an hour left until her first game in New York City, played at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, young girls were asking for autographs of her No. 22 jersey, posters, magazines, everything. I asked her for an autograph. all.
Caitlin Clark walked down the line, chewing gum and smiling, stopping to sign as many items as she could and stressing to security as she retreated to the visiting locker room for the game against Liberty.
Moments earlier on the court, Today with Hoda & Jenna’s Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager interviewed Clark and came away gushing about her.
“Just being here in general is great,” Bush Hager told the Post. “We were told this was going to be the most-watched game in WNBA history. Caitlin was lovely, but so were all of the players we met today.”
New York welcomed Caitlin Clark with open arms. Even as an enemy.
“You know what’s funny about Caitlin,” Hoda began. It shows in everything she does. She said she had a rocky start, but she now remembers that “this was fun,” and that’s one of the most attractive things about her. I think it was,” she said.
Jenna added. “By the way, that’s what we want our girls to know, just like our kids do. Sports should be about having fun.”
Caitlin Clark effect: The Associated Press reported that the Liberty earned more than $2 million in ticket revenue for the game, a WNBA record.
Clark encountered enthusiastic Liberty fans waving white towels. All in all, this was a sold-out Liberty home opener. But still, there was a roar when she was introduced to her Indiana Fever teammates. And when she hit a three and a layup, a roar rang out.
“I thought the atmosphere was incredible,” Clark said after Liberty 91 and Fever 80. It’s been incredible the last few seasons and this year is going to be great. It was fun playing here in New York for the first time in front of this environment. I think that’s what brings out the best in your competitors. I love playing in front of these environments. …I’m lucky to have this kind of environment in New York. I hope that those fans will continue to come, and I believe that they will. ”
At Liberty Row, tennis legend Billie Jean King was greeted with a standing ovation as she appeared on the scoreboard midway through the first quarter. Dawn Staley, the coach of the South Carolina national champions who defeated Clark and Lowa in the final, received a rousing cheer in the second quarter. So were Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe in the third quarter.
Mr. Clark found himself stranded on Clark Island. Kate Martin, Gabby Marshall, Hannah Stelke, and Sydney Affolter are no longer by her side. She is the only teammate who has not yet learned how to play with her. The only people she’s learning on the fly are her teammates. All the while learning how to cut harder and playing at a better pace against physical, experienced WNBA players relentlessly chasing her, as Bethnia Rainey-Hamilton often did on Saturday. .
“Everyone’s crowding me, chasing me 94 feet, getting trapped in every ball screen, blocked on every stagger screen,” Clark said. -10 from 3 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds.
She scored 10 of the team’s first 19 points and had 15 at halftime. She also sprinted to deflect a pass out of bounds after making an errant pass at the other end.
She was double-teamed and forced out of bounds. She committed eight turnovers. No one is perfect. Still, it was the best of her three-fight professional career.
She makes the right play most of the time – her passing is eternally elite – but that’s all she can do to elevate the cast around her. She forced the wrong logo 3 several times. She wowed the crowd with a 29-foot 3 to start the second half. Someone asked what effect a game like this would have on her self-confidence.
“Honestly, I’ve never felt like I’m in a slump with my shots. Either they go in or they don’t. I don’t lose confidence, like, I don’t think until you say I didn’t, but thank you for letting me know,” she said with a laugh.
She is handling everything beautifully and intends to strengthen her body and mind for the upcoming transition.
“I know this is my job right now, but I’m having fun playing this game and I’m just telling myself that I need to focus on that throughout the year. Have fun, that’s when I’ll be too.” That was my best time and that was my best time in college,” Clark said. “It’s the same situation every rookie comes in. You can make all the excuses you want, but there are no excuses. Some of the players in this league were once rookies, and they’ve been through the same things. Everybody goes through that…When you can make a living, it shouldn’t be hard to get up in the morning and play a basketball game.”
Valentina, 12, wore jersey number 22. “I’m a fan of Caitlin Clark because she does a really great job and she’s a really good role model to look up to,” she said.
This was Valentina’s first WNBA game. she plays basketball
“Watching Caitlin Clark play makes me want to work harder and do better,” she said.
Eight-year-old Alena held up a poster that said “I (Heart) Caitlin Clark.”
“She’s a really good basketball player, so maybe I can learn from her when I grow up,” she said.
Give them freedom. And give them Caitlin.
