Due to the injury, The all-time favourite player of Iowa women’s basketball has officially announced her retirement

Due to the injury, The all-time favourite player of Iowa women’s basketball has officially announced her retirement

The all-time favorite Iowa women’s basketball player has formally declared her retirement due to the injury.

On Wednesday, Caitlin Clark had her last opportunity to bid Iowa supporters farewell, and naturally, a sizable audience was present.

Along with her teammates, Clark became the all-time leading scorer in major college basketball this season and was named the unanimous national player of the year. The celebration took place at Iowa’s home arena to honor the Hawkeyes’ second consecutive national runner-up finish in the NCAA Tournament.

“I think you guys have inspired me just as much as I have inspired you,” Clark remarked to the roughly 8,000 spectators at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa. And you made it possible for me to fulfill my dream every single day. I’m incredibly grateful for that. I will always consider this area to be home because it has been so unique.”

When Iowa sports director Beth Goetz revealed that Clark’s No. 22 jersey would be retired, it was the third number retired in program history, and he was met with a standing ovation.

“It’s super incredible, something I’m very thankful for,” Clark stated. “Be it Kathleen Doyle or Sam Logic, there have been many excellent 22s who have performed for this program before me. That figure is significant in ways that go far beyond me. It will be a memorable day when it occurs, and I sincerely appreciate it.”

Lisa Bluder, the coach of Iowa, described the Hawkeyes’ consecutive runs to the national title game as “special.”

“This year’s was also special because nobody thought we could do it,” she stated. “Nobody thought we could repeat what we did last year, except these women up here.”

The fact that the Hawkeyes have been able to attract large audiences this season made the attendance at the event not surprising.

During the regular season, the Hawkeyes drew 238,620 spectators to all of their home games, and that number does not include the 55,646 spectators who attended the women’s basketball single-game attendance record-setting “Crossover at Kinnick” outdoor exhibition game in October at Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa also had two sold-out NCAA tournament games; with 28,764 attendees over the course of the weekend, it had the highest attendance of any first-weekend site in the women’s tournament.

Bluder said, “Please come back next year.” “Please fill Carver-Hawkeye Arena next year.”

Before the concert even began, fans were forming a line outside the venue and scrambling to get a seat when the doors opened.

The statement from Iowa was made the day after the nation’s best women’s collegiate basketball player and all-time leading scorer took home the John R. Wooden Award for a second year in a row.

There is currently disagreement about whether or not she is the greatest player in the history of women’s basketball, despite her team winning many Big Ten regular-season and tournament crowns, back-to-back national title game trips, and more during her career.