INDIANAPOLIS – With the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 WNBA Draft, the Indiana Fever picked University of Iowa guard Caitlin Clark on Monday night.
“We are thrilled to add Caitlin Clark to our roster. This is a great day for the Indiana Fever and all of Pacers Sports & Entertainment. l am confident she will have an immediate impact on our team and the league. Any time you can add two consecutive No. 1 draft selections, it creates enormous interest and visibility,” Fever General Manager Lin Dunn said.
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The 6-foot guard from West Des Moines, Iowa comes to Indiana after finishing her time at the University of Iowa with one of the most accomplished careers, which includes the remarkable distinction of being the greatest scorer in college basketball history. In the NCAA record books, Clark finished as the NCAA all-time leading scorer across men’s and women’s college basketball (3,951 points), the all-time leading scorer in women’s NCAA Tournament history (480 points), first in field goals made (1,293 made field goals), first in 3-point field goals made (548 made 3-point field goals) third in assists (1,144 assists) and fourth in free throws made (817 made free throws). Across the Big Ten, Clark ended her collegiate career leading the conference as the all-time leader in points, assists, field goals made, 3-point field goals made and free throws made.
Clark was a four-time All-America recipient, four-time First Team All-Big Ten recipient, three-time Dawn Staley Award winner, three-time Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award winner, three-time Big Ten Player of the Year, three-time Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player, two-time AP National Player of the Year and two-time Naismith Women’s Player of the Year.
“Caitlin is one of the most naturally gifted basketball players I have ever seen enter the WNBA from the college level. Her shooting and passing abilities captivated an entire audience of basketball fans, and her ability to make those around her better was even more evident during her collegiate career. We can’t wait to bring her to Indiana and incorporate her into our locker room with a group ready to get back to the postseason,” Fever Head Coach Christie Sides said.
This past season, Clark led the Hawkeyes to its second consecutive appearance in the national championship game and became the only player in NCAA Division I men’s or women’s basketball history to lead their conference in scoring and assists in four consecutive seasons. She became the first Division I player to also notch back-to-back 1,000-point seasons, ending her senior campaign with 1,234 points.
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During her penultimate season in 2022-23, Clark netted the most points by a Division I men’s or women’s basketball player after 100 career games played. In helping advance Iowa to the national championship game, Clark became the first player in Women’s NCAA Tournament history with back-to-back 40-point games. Against South Carolina in the Final Four, Clark’s 41 points were the most by any player against an undefeated team in Men’s or Women’s NCAA Tournament history.
In her sophomore season, Clark started all 32 games played from 2021-22. Clark ended her second season leading the country in points per game (27.0), points (863), assists per game (8.0), free throws made (200), triple-doubles (5) and 30-point games (11).
As a freshman, Clark started all 30 games from 2020-21. She was named The Athletic, WBCA, and USBWA Tamika Catchings Co-Freshman of the Year and earned first team All-America honors from The Athletic, WBCA, and USBWA, and earned second-team honors from the Associated Press. Clark was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earned unanimous Big Ten All-Freshman Team, and unanimous first team All-Big Ten honors. As a freshman, Clark led the nation in assists (214), field goals made (266), points (799), points per game (26.6), 3-pointers attempted (286), and 3-pointers made (116).
As a part of USA Basketball, Clark was named to the 2024 USA Women’s National Team April training camp roster in Cleveland at the NCAA Final Four. She won gold medals with USA Basketball as part of both the 2019 and 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup teams, as well as the 2017 FIBA Americas U16 Championship team.
The Fever also drafted guards Celeste Taylor (Ohio State) and Leilani Correa (Florida) to round out the 2024 WNBA Draft Class.
Celeste Taylor – 2nd rd. – No. 15 overall pick
Guard – 5-11 – Ohio State
Taylor was a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year honor this season with Ohio State and in 2022-23 with Duke. The 5-11 guard also was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year this season by the conference’s coaches, a year after earning ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors. The 5-11 guard from Valley Stream, N.Y., led the Big Ten in steals per game (2.5) this season and averaged 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. In 2023, she set a Duke NCAA Tournament record with 10 steals against Colorado.
Leilani Correa – 3rd rd. – No. 27 overall pick
Guard – 6-0 – Florida
Correa played three seasons at St. John’s before transferring to Florida in 2022. In 59 games played at Florida from 2022-24, Correa averaged 14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and started 15 games for the Gators. At St. John’s, she won the Big East Sixth-Woman Award in her freshman year and was unanimously selected to Big East All-Freshman Team.