For the joy of the game

Though I don’t watch much when it comes to women’s college basketball, the national attention that Caitlin Clark of Iowa State and Angel Reese of Louisiana State University have garnered had me tuning in to the Elite Eight rematch from last year’s title match.

Last year, LSU won the title, denying Iowa and Clark the crown in women’s college hoops, so this year — as the two teams met again in a battle to advance to the Final Four — all eyes (including mine) were on the game to see how it would play out.

I’m so glad that I took advantage of my last opportunities to see Clark play college ball before she moves on to the Women’s National Basketball Association, because it was truly something to behold.

After the Hawkeyes got redemption against LSU in the Elite Eight match-up, Clark expressed that she was able to play with joy while feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders.

What she was referring to was the fact that she had made the decision to forego her fifth year of college hoops and enter the WNBA draft, and with that decision finally made, she could finish her college career free of that weight, and just play with the joy that she has for the sport.

And she did.

In the LSU match-up, Clark was unstoppable. She scored 41 points and assisted her teammates to score 12 times. She also had seven rebounds and drained nine threes, some from as far out as the logo on the court.

She just stepped up, put her team on her back and did what she had to do to win the game and advance to the Final Four.

Is she the Greatest Of All Time? I would venture to agree with the numbers, and the vast majority of basketball fans, that she does indeed fulfill the requirements of such a prestigious title.

Throughout the course of her four years at Iowa, she earned 85 honors at either Iowa or the National Collegiate Athletic Association in general, or set new records. She also finished as the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer for men or women.

She’s a competitor and a warrior, and she did more for women’s college basketball than any player before her.

And she did it doing what she loves. That kind of passion is palpable for those who watch the game. It’s catching, and it’s beautiful.

I’m sure that it is also a bit daunting to know that all eyes are on you, and that you are setting the standard for the future of your sport.

Any mistake, any little bit of attitude is scrutinized.

In the LSU game, she was tearing it up, hitting threes and just making it rain. After hitting one of her three’s she pounded her chest and looked up at the crowd.

After the game, she had to explain herself because of the scrutiny she knew would come from that.

She said, “I just got hyped for a second.”

Wouldn’t we all?

Dawn Staley, head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks, reinforced the title of GOAT for Clark after South Carolina won the NCAA Division 1 title against Iowa on Sunday when she said this of Clark, “She carried a heavy load for our sport and it just is not gonna stop here on the collegiate tour. But when she is the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, she’s gonna lift that league up as well. So Caitlin Clark if you’re out there, you are one of the GOATs of our game. We appreciate you.”

My hope is that she always plays for the joy of the game and that all little girls who look up to her do the same, because that is what it is all about.