Caitlin Clark is used to playing in front of large crowds and passionate fans — both at the college level and now in the WNBA. Starting during her time at Iowa, Clark’s ability to put fans in seats was extremely impactful in growing the women’s basketball game. Whether it was a big matchup in the Big Ten with Indiana women’s basketball, an NCAA Tournament matchup with South Carolina in back-to-back years in the final weekend of the season, or now with the Indiana Fever, sellouts were a given.
Because of that, one would assume rowdy fans would be a constant part of the game for Clark. But, because of her success and the electrifying skillset she brought to the floor, most fans — even opposing — were cheering.
It’s something that Clark loves seeing.
“Absolutely,” Clark said following a fourth-straight win for the Fever. “A lot of these crowds that we’re going into, there aren’t many cheering against us and that certainly helps.”
While that may be the case in most opposing arenas, there is one that brought a different energy — Assembly Hall; the one place opposing fans rarely cheered for her.
“For me a lot of that was the same in college, other than the IU fans,” Clark added. “They were pretty crazy. It definitely adds an added emotion when there’s a lot of people cheering against you.”
Clark played Indiana nine times in her collegiate career, going 5-4. But, she was just 1-3 against IU inside Assembly Hall, losing the last two of her career.
In the last two games at Indiana, Clark struggled, shooting 37 percent from the field and was just 6-of-27 from three.
“This is a great environment to come and play basketball,” Clark said after IU’s win on Feb. 22 this season. “Their crowd is incredible,”
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