Wooden Award Flashback: Caitlin Clark’s historic run as a Hawkeye
Malia Poblete
Host · Writer
The John R. Wooden Award will celebrate it’s 50th anniversary this season. Leading up to the award ceremony on April 10, 2026, The Sporting Tribune in partnership with the Wooden Award and the Los Angeles Athletic Club will highlight past winners of the Wooden Award and the Legends of Coaching Award.
From the beginning to her collegiate end, Caitlin Clark built a name for herself in Iowa. Growing up in Des Moines, she was defined by her deep-range shooting, advanced playmaking, and a relentless scoring mentality. It made her one of the nation’s top recruits by the time she was done at Dowling Catholic High School.
Coming into 2020, she donned the gold and black for the University of Iowa and easily became a must-watch player. Her freshman year she averaged 26.6 points, 7.1 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game, later earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Big Ten Rookie of the Year, and USBWA and WBCA National Freshman of the Year.
And there was no slowing down. Clark elevated every part of her game averaging 27 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists her sophomore year. She became the first player in NCAA history to lead the nation in both scoring and assists in the same season. The accolades once again speak for themselves. She became Big Ten Player of the Year, unanimous First-Team All-American, and won the Nancy Lieberman Award for the nation’s top point guard.
The Hawkeyes later won the Big Ten Tournament behind her triple-double dominance.
Junior year she delivered one of the greatest NCAA Tournament runs ever, scoring a 41-point triple-double in the Elite Eight and 41 points versus the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks in the Final Four. Rightfully so, she won Naismith Player of the Year, AP Player of the Year, and the Wooden Award.
Iowa reached its first national championship game in program history that year.
Her greatest scoring season ever came her senior year. A statistical superstar, she averaged 31.6 points, 8.9 assists, and 7.4 rebounds across 39 games. Clark became the NCAA Division I all-time scorer, men’s or women’s surpassing Pete Maravich’s 3,667 points on March 3, 2024. On top of that she set the NCAA single-season 3-point record and single-season scoring record.
No surprise she swept every major award again, Naismith, AP Player of the Year, Wade Trophy, Honda Award, and Wooden.
“All we do is believe in each other and love each other to death and that’s what a true team is," Clark told ESPN. “If you want an example of what a team is, that’s what this team is. Coach (Lisa) Bluder knows how to create a team. You gotta create a culture where everybody’s valued. I’m just lucky enough to be a part of it.”
Drafted number one overall, Clark swapped Iowa for Indiana, becoming the star of the Fever franchise. She had one of the strongest debuts in league history and was averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, and 5.7 rebounds. Her performance led her to receive the WNBA Rookie of the Year, All-WNBA First Team, WNBA assists leader, and WNBA All-Star.
Currently she is recovering from injury this past season, but she maintains to be a key role model in navigating a league that is reshaping itself around her and many other star players’ presence.
