You may not know the name unless you’re locked into the college basketball scene, but history was made on Wednesday in women’s college basketball.
Caitlin Clark is a junior guard at the University of Iowa, and she just scored her 2,000th career point in just 75 career games. She’s tied for the fewest games to 2,000 points for any Division I player, male or female.
She joins WNBA star Elena Delle Donne as the only other player to do so in the same timeline – Delle Donne accomplished the feat at the University of Delaware.
Next, she chases the all-time scoring record by Kelsey Plum from the University of Washington with 3,500 points. But allow me to shift the focus briefly. With so much attention to all of the negatives of the NCAA’s clearance of “name, image, and likeness,” or NIL, here’s a case where it’s working as intended.
Caitlin Clark is able to cash in on her incredible performances. She’s signed with local grocer Hy-Vee, H&R Block, and Nike. Yes, Nike. This is why I’ve always been a fan of NIL, looking beyond the football recruiting aspect of it.
Now the traditional “non-revenue” student-athletes can cash-in when they deliver revenue. And Iowa is number 13 in the land, so the team’s profile is raised as well. Cheers to you, Caitlin, as you chase Kelsey Plum, just do it.
