Iowa's Caitlin Clark on entering WNBA draft: 'My focus is here' - ESPN

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark said before this women's basketball season started that she would trust her instincts when it came time to decide on staying for a fifth year in college. She said Friday that that's exactly what she did.

At Iowa's news conference looking ahead to Sunday's senior day in Iowa City, Clark spoke about how she made the choice to leave Iowa after four seasons and enter the 2024 WNBA draft, and why she announced it on social media Thursday.

«Getting the weight of the world off my shoulders and being able to enjoy this last month with my teammates is the biggest thing,» Clark said. «I kind of knew in my heart. I've gone back and forth a little bit, especially early in the year.

»As the season played out, it became clearer to me. I kind of knew what was going to be the right step for me, and obviously I had a lot of support system around me, and my family and friends. I think everybody supported my decision, and that's reassuring."

Because of the COVID-19 waiver the NCAA extended to all student-athletes who competed in 2020-21, Clark — a freshman that year — had a fifth season of college eligibility left. But during this season, in which she become the major-college women's scoring leader and is closing in on passing the NCAA men's mark, too, Clark said she realized it was time to move on.

She didn't specify a day or week that she made the decision but just said Friday that she has known «for a little while.»

«You weigh the pros and cons, and there's pros and cons both ways,» Clark said. «What we've been able to do here is so special, and that's not over. But I think I'm ready for the next chapter in my life, too.

»I've had quite a few conversations with our coaching staff, and they were always