History. In the biggest spotlight. In the biggest moment. The legend of Caitlin Clark is a tale that continues to grow more fabled by the game, it seems.
41 points. 12 assists. 10 rebounds. The first 30-point triple-double in women’s NCAA tournament history, and the first 40-point triple-double in the tournament — man or woman.
“How about her,” Lisa Bluder said. “Is she not the most spectacular basketball player in America? She just keeps adding to it and adding to it. She’s incredible. I remember sitting in her living room talking to her and she said, ‘I want to go to a Final Four’ — and I said, ‘We can do it together.'”
It’s Lisa Bluder’s first Final Four in four decades of coaching, and the program’s second. Together, Lisa and Caitlin accomplished that goal. But Caitlin, of course, took none of the credit for herself.
“I’m just so proud of this group,” Clark said. “Honestly a dream come true and we’re playing such good basketball right now we can beat anybody in America. So our goal is to go to Dallas and win two more, but we’re going to enjoy this one for a little bit.”
“It was unreal,” Kate Martin told me. “I was watching her sometimes and I was like, ‘What are you doing? Like, how is this even humanly possible?’ I’m just so proud of her and she deserves that.”
None of us know, Kate. But here’s what we do know: This team is special beyond measure. If the run ends in the Final Four, it’s arguably the greatest season the program’s ever had. All engineered by a player who’s star grows bigger when the lights get brighter.
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