Caitlin Clark's historic career for Iowa women's basketball ended with a crushing defeat to South Carolina in the 2024 national championship game. Here's what Clark had to say after the game.
Caitlin Clark on post-championship game praise from South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley
Question: Caitlin, I'm sure the moment stings quite a bit, but Dawn Staley just gave you some really, really strong and sincere praise on the podium, on the TV broadcast, for all you've done and all that she believes you're about to do in the years to come. I wonder what that means to hear from her.
"I think any time someone like Coach Staley is able to recognize you and what you did for the game is obviously pretty special. Obviously she's someone I respect so much. I respect what she's done for South Carolina. I respect what she did as a player for our game."
"Any time you can get the praises of her is pretty special. So it means a lot."
Caitlin Clark reflecting on the 2023-24 season
Question: Caitlin, you said that you've not wanted to look beyond this game or whatever was next in front of you. Now what are the emotions, and what do you think going forward? Do you think about everything that you were able to do, especially this past season?
"Yeah, it's certainly been a special year. To be honest, after last year I was kind of, like, how do we top doing what we did last year? Somehow, some way, every single person in our locker room believed. To be honest, this year was probably more special than last year."
"The teams we had to go through to get to this point, we won the Big Ten tournament. We lost two players that were three-year starters for our program, and to be back in this position and come out here and battle — I mean, South Carolina is so good. There's only so much you can do."
"[Kamilla] Cardoso has 17 rebounds. They have 51 as a team. We have 29. Hard to win a basketball game like that. You've basically got to shoot perfect at that point."
"I'm just proud of our group. We never backed down, and we gave it everything we've got."
"For me, just the emotions will probably hit me over the next couple days. I don't have much time to sit around and sulk and be upset. I don't think that's what I'm about either."
"Yeah, I'm sad we lost this game, but I'm also so proud of myself, I'm so proud of my teammates, I'm so proud of this program. There's a lot to be proud of."
"But there's going to be tears. It is sad this is all over, and this is the last time I'm going to put on an Iowa jersey."
"I think just reflecting back and soaking in everything that I was able to do because basically anybody other than me and coach Bluder never thought this was possible."
HOW IT HAPPENED: South Carolina defeats Iowa 87-75 to win national championship and complete perfect season
Caitlin Clark on enjoying the moment and not looking too far ahead
Question: Caitlin, have you allowed yourself to be excited about what's next, or have you been too focused on finishing your career here?
"I've been 110 percent focused on finishing my career here. That's been my full focus. That's been my driving force, and I think that's what's allowed me to play such great basketball through the month of March and April and through the end of our season, but really all year long."
"It was never the decision of whether I was going pro or whether I was staying at Iowa, never was something I stressed on too much. I knew it was something that would become clear to me over time."
"I think for me I know what's next is soon. But at the same time, I'm not blind to the fact that I need to enjoy this, I need to soak this in and enjoy these last few moments with my teammates because these are some of my best friends. They'll be my best friends for the rest of my life, and that's what matters to me the most."
Caitlin Clark on helping to grow women's basketball
Question. Caitlin, you've done a lot for the Big Ten. The Big Ten gets maligned a lot, but you guys did a lot for the Big Ten. I'm sure you're disappointed, but when you have a chance to look at the impact you've made, where the ratings are through the roof and most of it's because of you, and then of course the Iowa team once again being in this position two years in a row. What will you look back at this time frame despite the not winning the championship?
"I think the biggest thing is it's really hard to win these things. I think I probably know that better than most people by now. To be so close twice, it definitely hurts, but at the same time, we were right there. We battled. We took down some really great teams to get back to this point. It's something that's really hard to do."
"When I think about women's basketball going forward, obviously it's just going to continue to grow, whether it's at the WNBA level, whether it's at the college level. Everybody sees it. Everybody knows. Everybody sees the viewership numbers."
"When you're given an opportunity, women's sports just kind of thrives. I think that's been the coolest thing for me on this journey, we started our season playing in front of 55,000 people in Kinnick Stadium. And now we're ending it playing in probably 15 million people or more on TV. It just continues to get better and better and better. That's never going to stop."
"When you continue to give them the platform, things like this are just going to continue to happen."
Caitlin Clark on how women's sports can build on its momentum
Question: Caitlin, what you and your team have accomplished in Iowa has made the whole world look at women's sports and women's basketball. How do you think all of women's sports can capitalize on this momentum right now?
"I think the biggest thing is, for us, this team came along at a really good time, whether it was social media, whether it was NIL, whether it was our games being nationally televised. We've played on Fox, NBC, CBS, ESPN — you go down the list, and we've been on every national television channel. I think that's been one of the biggest things that has helped us."
"I think, no matter what sport it is, give then the same opportunities, believe in them the same, invest in them the same, and things are really going to thrive."
"You see it with other sports, and I'm a big fan of other sports. Like I try to support as much as I can, and I think that's the biggest thing is continue to invest your time, money and resources there, and continue to show up for those people and give them the opportunities."
"I think that's what's going to help drive women's sports forward in the future."
CAITLIN CLARK TRACKER: Follow the Iowa star's biggest games and highlights in the 2023-24 season
Caitlin Clark on her legacy with Iowa basketball
Question: This is for all three of you (Clark's teammate Kate Martin and head coach Lisa Bluder were also at the podium). What do you think the legacy of this team and this era is for Iowa basketball? And what's probably the moment that stands out? Is it something on the floor? Is it something just among all of you? I guess what can you share?
" think this group has gone about it in the right way in every single thing that we've done in every phase of our life. I think that's what you can be the most proud of."
"We truly have each other's back. Maybe we weren't always the most skilled. Maybe we weren't always the tallest. Maybe we weren't always the fastest, but we just believed. We knew we could be in these moments. We trusted one another. That took a couple of years to get to that point."
"There's been so many great Iowa women's basketball players to come before us and allow this program to be really, really good when Kate and I and everyone else stepped on campus. And I feel like we took it to a whole nother level. I feel like our program is in good hands moving forward."
"I think more than anything people will probably remember our two Final Fours and things like that. But people aren't going to remember every single win or every single loss. I think they're just going to remember the moments that they shared at one of our games or watching on TV or how excited their young daughter or son got about watching women's basketball. I think that's pretty cool."
"Those are the things that mean the most to me when people come up to me and — I don't really get offended when people say I never watched women's basketball before. I think, one, you're a little late to the party, yes. But, two, that's cool. We're changing the game. We're attracting more people to it."
"But at the same time, those little things are, I think, the moments that we'll remember forever."
Caitlin Clark on South Carolina's swing to pull away mid-game
Question: Caitlin, this was a game of runs. Your guys' start was amazing, right? Right before the end of the half, they hit you with a 5-0 and then they start with a 6-0 at the start of the third quarter. Is that where the game changed hands and they took control?
"They're a really good team. We knew they were going to go on runs. By no means, when we started off as hot as we did, did we think we'd be able to hold that lead. That's just what teams do."
"There's some crazy statistics where South Carolina just outscores everybody in the second half by a ton of points every single game."
"To me, I'm just proud of our resiliency. We go into the fourth quarter, I think we cut it to five. And we just weren't able to come up with a few stops and a few baskets."
"That speaks to our team. That's the story it's been all year long. My whole entire career, we never give up. We just keep fighting."
"Their runs are kind of daggers, especially when they keep making pull-up jump shots. That's what we are going to give up. Sometimes you live with that and you're going to live with them out-rebounding you. There's only so much you can do for someone who's 6-foot-7. Hannah was doing her best to box her out. She's a really great player, going to be a really great pro."
BUCKETS: Women's college basketball all-time leading scorers
Caitlin Clark on what beens to be a part of transforming women's basketball
Question: I want to ask a variation on questions that have been asked. We've talked about this being a transformative year in terms of women's college basketball. And I just wondered for the two of you personally, what does it mean to be a part of that, to have your name associated with that?
"I think there's obviously so many amazing people that have come before us and give us this opportunity. I think, to attract so many people to watching women's basketball is so special. And the way people have showed up consistently throughout my career, I was going through some old pictures last night and just how things have changed since my freshman year and my sophomore year, it was so incredible. Time goes so fast. It's crazy."
"I can't believe this is my last career game. There's just so much to be proud of."
"I think people didn't love us for our wins. I think they loved us for the way we carried ourselves every single day, for the way we played for one another, the joy we played with, the passion we played with, the competitive spirit we had, the way we high-fived and celebrated our teammates' success. That's the reason people loved turning on Iowa women's basketball."
Caitlin Clark on the message she'll tell kids that look up to her
Question: You've had an incredible journey to this point, especially with the historical viewership. What would you say to kids striving to be you right now?
"I would say I think the biggest thing is this is what I kind of said about my entire career is nobody really believed other than myself. I think confidence. I think as a young girl, just have confidence, a young boy, have confidence in yourself and confidence in whatever you want to be."
"I think that was the thing that my parents instilled in me from a young age. They never told me no. They told me no about other things, but not in what I wanted to do and what I wanted to be and the goals I wanted to chase after."
"I would say that's the biggest thing. You've got to say it. You've got to work for it. You've got to earn it. You don't ever want anything to be given to you."
"That's what I'm most proud of throughout my career, I've worked really hard to be in this moment. That's where my confidence comes from. That's the piece of advice I would give to the younger generation."