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As much as she wanted to play in the Olympics, Caitlin Clark savors the thought of some time off during the WNBA’s monthlong hiatus for the Paris Games.
Never mind that Indiana Fever’s rookie sensation didn’t really look as if she needed any while setting a WNBA record with 19 assists in the Fever’s final game before the break.
“I feel like I’ve been nonstop go since, like, probably September of last year,” Clark said before her milestone moment Wednesday night in a 101-93 loss to the Dallas Wings.
And that’s because she has.
Two weeks after her second consecutive trip to the national championship game with Iowa, Clark was the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft.
About another three weeks later, her preseason debut came in a sold-out arena on the University of Texas at Arlington campus, the same place she set the assists record in front of another sellout.
Clark’s long break isn’t quite here because she will play for the WNBA All-Stars against the U.S. women’s Olympic team in Phoenix on Saturday night. She also was invited to participate in the All-Star 3-point-shooting, but turned it down, as did New York Liberty sharp-shooter Sabrina Ionescu.
Soon enough, Clark will take about a week off before the Fever get into some sort of routine to try to stay sharp for after the break. Most of the roster will be home for the Olympics. Indiana’s first game back is Aug. 16 at home against Phoenix.
“I think it’ll be really good for myself and my body,” Clark said. “You’re getting close to a full year of just playing basketball nonstop. So it’ll probably be a little weird for me not playing games. But I think it’s definitely going to be good for my body.”
Clark scored 24 points despite going 2-of-9 from deep in the loss to the Wings.
Clark leads all rookies at 17.1 points per game and leads everybody at 8.2 assists per contest. Over the past nine games, Clark is averaging 11.9 assists.
“She’s going to get a breather and get some rest. I think it’s just great,” Fever coach Christie Sides said. “She’s just been going so hard for quite some time now. I think it’s going to help her so much just to kind of decompress.”
Since Iowa’s opener last Nov. 6, Clark has played 65 games that counted and two that didn’t—Indiana’s brief exhibition season.
Along the way, Clark was an involuntary participant in discussions of race amid the meteoric rise of a young, white star, and hard fouls on her brought more attention than usual.
Chicago’s Chennedy Carter had one upgraded to a flagrant foul a day after it happened, and after Carter’s coach, Teresa Weatherspoon, told her guard the play wasn’t appropriate.
The off-the-court drama coincided with the Fever’s rough start against a difficult schedule. They rebounded from 1-8 by going 10-7 the rest of the way before the break and are in the playoff picture.
If Indiana advances to the postseason in September, that’ll be more than a year since Clark started ramping up for her final season with the Hawkeyes, which ended with a second consecutive loss in the NCAA title game.
“Honestly, I feel pretty good,” Clark said. “I think the beginning of the season was probably the most difficult for me. Just the adjustment of, first of all, playing in this league. And then second of all, the schedule that we had, playing a game, having a day off, playing a game.
“I think once we really kind of got into a flow and got a few wins under our belt and had a little more practice time, things have settled down and flowed a little better. I feel like my feet are definitely getting under me more and starting to build more and more confidence.”
Skills contest
Phoenix’s Brittney Griner and New York’s Jonquel Jones are among the biggest names participating in the WNBA’s special competitions on Friday during the league’s All-Star weekend.
The WNBA also announced the Phoenix Mercury’s first coach and general manager, Cheryl Miller, will coach the WNBA All-Stars on Saturday. The national team will be led by Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve.
But the league’s Skills Challenge and 3-point Contest won’t include a handful of the league’s most popular players, including Clark, Chicago’s Angel Reese and New York’s Ionescu.
Clark and Ionescu both turned down invitations to participate in the 3-point contest, the WNBA said.
The Skills Challenge will include Griner, teammate Sophie Cunningham, Atlanta’s Allisha Gray, Connecticut’s Marina Mabrey and Indiana’s Erica Wheeler.
The 3-point Contest includes Jones, Gray, Mabrey, Washington’s Stefanie Dolson and Minnesota’s Kayla McBride.
Griner is the only member of the U.S. Olympic Team who will participate in either competition.
The Skills Challenge is Friday at 9 p.m. on ESPN. The All-Star game against the U.S. Olympic team is Saturday at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.
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