Clark 'thankful' as she bids farewell to Iowa, will have jersey retired - ESPN

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Caitlin Clark got a final chance to say goodbye to Iowa fans on Wednesday, and of course there was a big crowd waiting.

Clark, who became major college basketball's all-time leading scorer this season on the way to being the consensus national player of the year, was honored along with her teammates in a celebration at Iowa's home arena commemorating the Hawkeyes' second consecutive national runner-up finish in the NCAA tournament.

«I would say you've all inspired me as much as I inspired you,» Clark said to the approximately 8,000 fans at Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena. «And you allowed me to live out my dream every single day, and for that, I'm very thankful. It's been very special, and this place will always be home to me.»

Clark, expected to be the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever in Monday's WNBA Draft, finished her career with 3,951 points and 1,144 assists, an All-American in every season in a career that started playing in front of sparse crowds during her freshman year when attendance was limited because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clark received a standing ovation when Iowa athletics director Beth Goetz announced that Clark's jersey number 22 will be retired, the third number to be retired in program history.

There will never be another <a href=«https://twitter.com/CaitlinClark22?ref_src=» https:>@CaitlinClark22

& there will never be another 2️⃣2️⃣.

The <a href=«https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hawkeyes?src=hash&ref_src=» https:>#Hawkeyes will retire Clark's No. 22. pic.twitter.com/bTyWRXwJir

«I think they like you,» Goetz said to Clark after the announcement.

«It's super incredible, something I'm very thankful for,» Clark said. «There's been a lot of good 22s who have come before me and played