Did you see history being made last night (as of this post date)? ESPN cut away from regular programming to watch as Iowa women’s hoops superstar Caitlin Clark made history by becoming the leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history. Our man Shaq had some high praise for Clark’s work.
Clark overtook the previous record (held by Kelsey Plum) as she hit a three-point shot from between the circles as her Hawkeyes beat Michigan 106–89.
Over on TNT, during the regular Inside the NBA program, Shaq opined that Clark is in a class of her own when it comes to women’s college basketball. O’Neal declared the Hawkeyes star the “best female collegiate player ever.” Quite the compliment!
Of course this being Inside the NBA, the big man’s thoughts did not go unchallenged. Both Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley brought up names like Cheryl Miller, Maya Moore, Candace Parker and Diana Taurasi, who are often part of the “best of” conversations for women’s college basketball.
Still, the entire Inside crew had nothing but big complements for Clark. As for Shaq, he said, “I’m gonna go on the record and say she’s the best female collegiate player ever. When the other names were brought up, he replied, “I said what I said…I ain’t disrespecting nobody. It’s just my opinion.”
The BIG Podcast with SHAQ
At this point, Clark is looking to an even bigger record, and it’s definitely in her sights. At the rate she’s going, it’s possible she could break the all-time college scoring record — for both men and women — currently held by the legendary Pistol Pete Maravich.
For her college career, Clark still has some unfinished business… winning the NCAA Championship. She and her Hawkeyes came close last year, but lost in the Finals to LSU. No doubt winning the final game of the year would make the argument for GOAT-status even stronger.
Clark continues to put up amazing performances, almost on a nightly basis. While she did let her Iowa teammates score a few of their own in the record-breaking game, she finished the night with 49 points. That was both a personal career high and the most points any Iowa player has ever scored in a game. BTW, she broke her own record…something she set only earlier this season.
As of right now, Clark is in the books with 3,569 career points. More to come this season, of course. That surpasses former Washington guard Kelsey Plum, who scored 3,527. As for Pistol Pete, his all-time record in Division 1 is 3,667 points…not that far away.
For any hoops fan out there, Clark’s game is definitely worth the watch. She pretty much scores from anywhere on the floor, and she’s got real skills when it comes to setting up teammates with outlandish passes and assists as well.
It’s going to be a great season for the ladies in college hoops. Can’t wait to see how it plays out for Clark and her Iowa team.