NCAA Basketball Star Caitlin Clark's Success Rooted In Her Faith And Catholic Education
She’s often draining three-pointers and dishing off passes at night, but Caitlin Clark’s pre-game prep typically starts in the morning with a prayer.
Clark, a practicing Catholic, has become the biggest name at this year’s NCAA basketball tournament — men’s or women’s — as she tries to lead Iowa to a national championship.
The 6-foot phenom started playing basketball at age five and was the only girl on a boys’ youth team. She eventually became a star high school player at Dowling Catholic in West Des Moines in Iowa, where faith became an important part of her daily life. It was those high school years that set the template for how she lives her life.
“We get to live our faith every day,” Clark said in a 2018 interview while attending high school. “Dowling starts every day with prayer and ends every day with prayer. This is a big reason why Dowling has such a special culture and is such a special place to go to school.”
March is often dominated by Catholic colleges and universities who go deep at the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Not this year. Instead, the biggest story this spring has been Clark and her incredible skills on the hardwood, so much so that USA Today recently called Clark the “perfect player at (the) perfect time for women’s basketball.”
Everyone now knows what Clark can do after her wonderful performances this season — but many schools had seen that potential a few years ago. She was heavily recruited by a number of schools after ESPN rated her the nation’s No. 4 prospect in 2020.
“I am seriously considering them, and I think it aligns with my faith well,” she said at the time about possibly attending and playing at Notre Dame, one of the most prestigious Catholic schools in the nation. “The school part of it is a big deal. You’re getting a great education, which is more important than basketball.”
Clark had also visited Oregon and Oregon State. Ultimately, she settled on the Hawkeyes because they were much closer to home.
“It’s a lot different; it’s far away,” she said of moving to the Pacific Northwest. “That’d be a big change. The lifestyle there is a lot different. But, I could see myself at both of those places, and every place I’ve visited, I’ve really liked.”
As a freshman with the Hawkeyes, Clark led the country in scoring (she averaged 26.6 points per game) and finished third in assists (seven per game). Last year, as a sophomore, she helped Iowa win the Big 10 and upped her season average to 27 points and eight assists per game.
Now in her junior year, Clark helped Iowa to its second straight conference title. Her and her teammates now have their sights firmly placed on a national title when they meet No. 1-ranked South Carolina on Friday.
While South Carolina is favored, Clark’s performance in the Elite Eight against Louisville put the spotlight primarily on her. She scored 41 points this past Sunday and recorded a triple-double — the performance was the first 40-point triple-double in tournament history. In the process, she also became the first player in Division 1 history to score 900 points and record 300 assists in a single season.
Thomas Wilson, who serves as athletic director at Dowling Catholic, said Clark’s success was due partly to her Catholic education and the school wanting its kids “to shoot high.”
“It takes an awful lot of hard work. Obviously, that’s something we try to instill here, and she’s really lived by that motto and really excelled,” he added. “We’re certainly proud of what she’s done, and it’s been fun to watch.”
Clark has carried over the values from her Catholic education over to Iowa. On Twitter, she’s posted messages that include praying for her fans and even opponents who have suffered an injury.
After her amazing performance against Lousiville, the 21-year-old point guard said leading Iowa to its first Final Four appearance since 1993 is a dream come true.
“I dreamed of this moment as a little girl — to take a team to the Final Four and be in these moments and have confetti fall down on me,” she told reporters.
Clark added, “When I came here I said I wanted to take this program to the Final Four and all you’ve got to do is dream. And all you’ve got to do is believe and work your butt off to get there. That’s what I did, and that’s what our girls did, and that’s what our coaches did.”
Inside the halls and gym at Dowling Catholic High School, students and administrators are looking ahead to Friday’s contest. A large gathering is expected so that students and teachers can sheer Clark on together.
Kristin Meyer, who coached Clark in high school, said she isn't surprised by the Iowa star’s success.
“She has earned the right to be this good,” she said, “by putting in just a lot of work.”
Clemente Lisi is a senior editor at Religion Unplugged and teaches journalism at The King’s College in New York City. He is the author of “The FIFA World Cup: A History of the Planet’s Biggest Sporting Event.” Follow him on Twitter @ClementeLisi.