Watch out, Nelly Korda.
Caitlin Clark joked on Wednesday night that with a lot of free time on her hands after her rookie season ended with a first-round playoff loss, she'll now focus on golf.
“I was so focused on beating the Connecticut Sun that I wasn't really thinking ahead.” Clark says“I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow, or what I'm going to do the day after tomorrow. Maybe I'll play golf. I'll do that until it gets cold in Indiana. I'll be a professional golfer.”
The controversy surrounding Clark's offseason began during the Fever's 87-81 Game 2 loss to the Suns when a reporter cited an in-game report that suggested Clark would not be playing overseas in the offseason like WNBA players.
Playing internationally provides additional financial compensation in a sport where salaries are limited.
Clark didn't address the topic in her response, but teammate Aaliyah Boston suggested she would prefer her teammate stay on the court rather than play 18 holes.
“Don't take it too far, baby,” Boston joked after discussing golf. “Stick it with basketball.”
When Clark isn't hitting tee shots, he'll certainly enjoy some rest after a busy year that included leading the University of Iowa to the national finals (where they lost to powerhouse South Carolina) and then helping the Fever reach the playoffs.
Clarke did not compete in the Olympics, but her exclusion sparked a lot of controversy.
“It was definitely different for me. I feel like basketball took over my life for about a year,” Clark said. “For me, it's good to look back on everything that's happened. My college years went by so quickly that I feel like I didn't have time to reflect. And then I came here and just tried to give my all to this team, move on, put everything behind me and try to help this team get back to the playoffs.”
“I'm going to take a moment to enjoy it and reflect. It's been special. This team has accomplished a lot of things that a lot of people probably didn't think were possible – first at the start of the season and secondly, after the season has started. It's definitely going to feel a little weird the first two weeks, but after that I'm sure they'll get bored and start playing basketball again.”
Clark finished his rookie season with averages of 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.4 rebounds, recovering from a slow start both individually and with the team.
The Fever started off 1-8 but rallied to go 20-20 and earn the sixth seed.
Clark averaged 18 points, 8.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds in two playoff games, including a 25-point performance in Game 2.
“I'm a tough grader. I feel like this year has been a solid year,” Clark said. “What's fun for me is I feel like I'm just scratching the surface and I'm really critiquing every single thing that I do. I know I want to be better for my teammates so that this franchise can be better, so that my teammates can be better, and I know I still have room to improve.”
“That's what's most gratifying to me, and I feel like it's just getting better and better.”
