Basketball player Caitlin Clark, a Catholic, is elevating the women’s game to new heights.

Caitlin Clark told a local newspaper that Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, was unique because it allowed her to live out her faith every day. Caitlin Clark is already regarded as the top women’s basketball player in her class nationally. She said this to a reporter during her sophomore year.

“Every day we get to practise our beliefs. In 2018, Clark told a Des Moines Register reporter, “Prayer is the beginning and the end of every day for dowing.” “This is a major factor in why Dowling is such a unique school and has such a unique culture.”

By February 16, 2024, when she is a senior and a great player for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, a team ranked in the top five nationally, Clark is perhaps the best women’s collegiate basketball player in the nation. She now holds the record for the most career points with 3,569, a record she broke on February 15. Despite this, she is unquestionably the most prolific scorer in the history of women’s collegiate basketball.

According to several who know Caitlin Clark, she has persisted in practicing her faith on a daily basis despite everything. She does so, in the opinion of her high school coach Kristin Meyer, by making the most of the gifts God has given her and using them to uplift others.

“She is aware that she possesses certain abilities that others may not possess naturally, and her goal is to optimise them for her teammates as well as the wider audience,” Meyer stated to Crux on February 16.

Meyer clarified, “It’s not just about winning or scoring a lot of points; she loves playing in front of a sold-out arena because she gets to entertain people and make them smile.” “She gives them this wonderful experience for two hours, and she takes that pretty seriously. She knows that those gifts from God are a chance to make other people happy.”

Eight points separated Clark from breaking the previous NCAA women’s basketball career points record of 3,527, which was held by Washington’s Kelsey Plum from 2013 to 2017. Clark was playing against Michigan on February 15. Clark passed Plum’s career point total in under two minutes and twelve seconds, demonstrating her ability to do so with a pull-up transition three from roughly 35 feet away.

She had broken yet another record by the conclusion of the evening. Her 49 points constituted the single-highest scoring total in Iowa women’s basketball history.

Thanks to Iowa Women’s assistant basketball coach Jan Jenson, who secured front-row seats for Meyer and the whole Dowling coaching staff to the game, Meyer was present at Carver-Hawkeye Arena to witness it all. Following her first two baskets, Meyer stated that Clark turned to her assistant coach, who was seated next to her, and told him that Iowa needed to stop playing defence in order for Clark to make a pull-up three in transition.

You can sometimes feel when Caitlin is going to pull-up in transition, so when they get a defensive rebound and kick it out to her, the arena goes crazy, according to Meyer. This happened 15 to 20 seconds later. “It was an amazing sensation. Being a part of the atmosphere in the building was so much fun that it’s difficult to put into words how amazing it was.

Meyer said it’s still difficult for her to comprehend Clark’s achievement nearly a day later.

Meyer clarified, “It’s something she never talked about when she was in high school or even when she first came to college.” “To me, it still seems a little surreal, but it just kind of happened as a byproduct of all the work that she put in, of her self-confidence, and how she challenged herself and grown as a player to be able to achieve that.”

Clark, 22, is a native of Des Moines; her family’s home parish is St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in West Des Moines. She completed her elementary education at the parish school, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School, before transferring to Dowling for her high school education.

Speaking with Crux, St. Francis pastor Father Joseph Pins, who has known Clark and her family for many years, expressed to Crux that the parish community as a whole is “very proud of Caitlin and her family” for her achievements both on and off the court.

On February 16, Pins said to Crux, “We’re proud of our alumna who has done such a great, great, great thing in life.” “Watching this go through and see success not just on the basketball court but also in her faith life is always good as we form children.”

He went on, “[Clark] does a great job just living out the faith.”

Sadly, Pins failed to make Clark’s game-changing shot. Pins suffered a kind of affliction unique to Catholics: he gave up TV for Lent, which prevented him from seeing the game in person.

“Yeah, I saw the highlight, and that was quite the shot.” stated Pins.

Regarding Clark’s achievement, Bishop William Joensen told Crux on February 16 that while it’s not shocking that Clark set this kind of record given her exceptional athletic ability from a young age, all fans and Catholics should be proud of it.

“Because of her brothers, who at our Des Moines diocesan celebration of Catholic education last year spoke to the importance of faith in their family life, and her parents, Anne and Brent, Caitlin witnessed that even to this day she still draws strength, perspective, and peace from her presence at Mass and the Gospel values instilled in her,” Joensen stated. “She takes seriously her call to serve as an inspiration to all who celebrate this extraordinary accomplishment, especially young girls.”

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Meyer addressed her own self first when responding to a question about her experience coaching Clark at Dowling.

Meyer remarked, “The first thing I think about is her personality and how positive, upbeat, and always trying to make people laugh she is.”

She simply adores life. It infuses the space and everyone in her vicinity, whether they are playing basketball or not.

Meyer claimed that it was evident how much Clark liked basketball from the moment she first saw her at the age o

f 14. She claimed that Clark would always be “smiling ear to ear because she just loves having a ball in her hands,” regardless of the activity—a game, a practice, or an individual shot around.

Meyer added that she saw early on—dating back to the summer exercises before Clark’s freshman year—that in addition to Clark’s exceptional skills, she also possessed a remarkable work ethic, competitive spirit, and enjoyment of a challenge.

She recalled how much Clark enjoyed practicing with the boy’s squad since it presented a little more of a challenge. And how she would constantly push herself to surpass her own objectives or shoot from a farther distance.

Meyer added that Clark’s bravery was another factor in her success.

“I believe that fear of failing or making a mistake can sometimes impede athletes, particularly female athletes, but Caitlin is always looking for the positive,” Meyer said. “This has been made possible by her fearlessness and work ethic combined with her love of challenges and strong work ethic.”

The majority of Clark’s remarks following her career point record-breaking were expressions of gratitude to her coaches, teammates, family, and supporters.

However, during a postgame interview, Clark was asked what her six-year-old self would have thought of her achievement. Her response highlighted the amount of work it had taken her to reach this position. That unwavering work ethic Meyer mentioned.

Clark stated, “I think you should be more than proud of the way I worked for this.” “I just worked hard every single day to try and make my dreams come true; nothing was ever given to me.”

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