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'Forever grateful': Caitlin Clark shows love for Hawkeyes fans after her final home game

'Forever grateful': Caitlin Clark shows love for Hawkeyes fans after her final home game
HERE. I WOULDN’T SAY I GET TOO NERVOUS. I’M KIND OF EVEN KEEL OUT THERE, KIND OF THE CALM ONE. BUT I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY WE KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE A COMPETITIVE GAME AND IT WAS GOING TO COME DOWN TO THE FINAL, FINAL BUZZER REALLY. UM, IT’S MARCH, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. WE KNEW THEY WERE GOING TO COME IN HERE AND GIVE US THEIR BEST SHOT. AND I THINK WE WERE I MEAN, WE WERE PREPARED FOR IT. I MEAN, WE DIDN’T THINK THAT WE WERE GOING TO BLOW THEM OUT OF THE WATER, LIKE WE KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE A TIGHT, CLOSE GAME. I FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY IN THE FUTURE, LIKE I’LL BE BACK HERE, LIKE IN SOME CAPACITY, LIKE I HOPE ONE DAY, LIKE I CAN COACH HERE OR WHATEVER. SO I DON’T IT’S NOT SUPER SAD FOR ME. LIKE I JUST FEEL SUPER GRATEFUL AND I JUST FEEL REALLY HONORED TO BE A PART OF THIS. YEAH, OUR I MEAN, HAWKEYE FANS ARE SO AMAZING AND IT SEEMS SO SURREAL THAT THAT’S OUR LAST GAME FOR THE SEASON IN CARVER. UM, BUT I’M GLAD WE GOT A WIN TO SEND OFF. UM, OUR LAST HOME GAMES. THE NEXT GAME IN ALBANY SATURDAY, THEY’LL TAKE ON COLORADO I
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'Forever grateful': Caitlin Clark shows love for Hawkeyes fans after her final home game
Caitlin Clark raised her arms as she walked across the court, pumped her fists and made a heart with her hands as she bid farewell to her legion of adoring fans who came to see her play one last time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on Monday night.The clock had just hit zeroes on No. 1 seed Iowa's hard-earned 64-54 win over No. 8 West Virginia in the women's NCAA Tournament, and she wanted to thank the fans."I'm forever grateful," she said.Video above: Hawkeye players react to win over West VirginiaThe Hawkeyes will head to Albany, New York, to continue their bid to reach the championship game for a second straight year. No matter what happens the rest of the way, Clark will be remembered as the most beloved, if not the greatest, athlete to come out of the state that also produced Dan Gable, Bob Feller and Nile Kinnick."I'm very grateful that I got to play in an environment that supports women's athletics the way that they do, not only women's basketball — and to be honest, they've been doing this before I ever stepped on campus," Clark said. "Maybe it wasn't quite at the magnitude it is now, but these people and these fans have showed up, and they'll continue to show up."The NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader had 32 points on a night nothing came easily for her or her teammates. The Mountaineers' physical defense tried to knock her off her game, and for stretches it succeeded. She had to have blood wiped off her leg in the fourth quarter.Among those in attendance were Basketball Hall of Fame member Nancy Lieberman, known as "Lady Magic," and San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle, who played for the Hawkeyes from 2013-16.Clark's parents were in the stands, as always. Brent, her dad, was a weekend social media fixture for his visible displeasure with his daughter for letting her frustration show when her shot wouldn't fall or she didn't get calls against Holy Cross on Saturday. He had a look of concern Monday whenever he was shown on ESPN's telecast, even when Iowa was pulling away. Anne, her mom, smiled as she stood with her hands clasped.And, like at every home game, fans of all ages showed up in their No. 22 jerseys and T-shirts and many brought signs paying homage to the Iowa star."I try not to look in the stands the best I can," Clark said. "I don't know, my family has always been there for me through the ups and downs of my journey. More than anything, they just look at me and motivate me, and that's a sign of reassurance."More Hawkeyes NCAA Tournament coverage:Iowa basketball: Get to know the Hawkeye women’s rosterHow to watch Iowa women vs. Colorado What to know about Colorado, Iowa’s next opponent Another Caitlin Clark effect: Betting interest in women's college basketball grows Clark's first regular-season game at Carver-Hawkeye was in November 2020. She scored 27 points in a 96-81 win over Northern Iowa. COVID-19 restrictions limited attendance to family and media members. More numerous were those cardboard cutouts of fans, including one of Clark's golden retrievers, Bella.The crowds showed up en masse as Clark's career continued to rise. Every home game sold out this year.Carver-Hawkeye is where she broke Kelsey Plum's Division I women's all-time scoring record with a career-high 49 against Michigan. It's where she passed the late Pete Maravich of LSU as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I. She scored 35 against Ohio State that afternoon. It's where she made a couple late free throws Monday to set the Division I single-season scoring record.She'll head to Albany for Saturday's Sweet 16 game against fifth-seeded Colorado with 1,113 points this season and 3,830 points in her 135 career games.MARCH MADNESS: What to know about Iowa's Sweet 16 opponent Colorado"You don't want to get emotional, you don't want to get emotional," she said. "I wish I could have stayed on the court a little longer."

Caitlin Clark raised her arms as she walked across the court, pumped her fists and made a heart with her hands as she bid farewell to her legion of adoring fans who came to see her play one last time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on Monday night.

The clock had just hit zeroes on No. 1 seed Iowa's hard-earned 64-54 win over No. 8 West Virginia in the women's NCAA Tournament, and she wanted to thank the fans.

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"I'm forever grateful," she said.

Video above: Hawkeye players react to win over West Virginia

The Hawkeyes will head to Albany, New York, to continue their bid to reach the championship game for a second straight year. No matter what happens the rest of the way, Clark will be remembered as the most beloved, if not the greatest, athlete to come out of the state that also produced Dan Gable, Bob Feller and Nile Kinnick.

"I'm very grateful that I got to play in an environment that supports women's athletics the way that they do, not only women's basketball — and to be honest, they've been doing this before I ever stepped on campus," Clark said. "Maybe it wasn't quite at the magnitude it is now, but these people and these fans have showed up, and they'll continue to show up."

The NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader had 32 points on a night nothing came easily for her or her teammates. The Mountaineers' physical defense tried to knock her off her game, and for stretches it succeeded. She had to have blood wiped off her leg in the fourth quarter.

Among those in attendance were Basketball Hall of Fame member Nancy Lieberman, known as "Lady Magic," and San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle, who played for the Hawkeyes from 2013-16.

IOWA CITY, IOWA - MARCH 25: San Francisco 49ers tight end and former Iowa Hawkeyes tight end George Kittle poses for photos with Iowa basketball fans prior to tipoff against the West Virginia Mountaneers during the second round of the 2024 NCAA Women&apos&#x3B;s Basketball Tournament held at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Rebecca Gratz/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Rebecca Gratz
San Francisco 49ers tight end and former Iowa Hawkeyes tight end George Kittle poses for photos with Iowa basketball fans prior to tipoff against the West Virginia Mountaneers during the second round of the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament held at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. 

Clark's parents were in the stands, as always. Brent, her dad, was a weekend social media fixture for his visible displeasure with his daughter for letting her frustration show when her shot wouldn't fall or she didn't get calls against Holy Cross on Saturday. He had a look of concern Monday whenever he was shown on ESPN's telecast, even when Iowa was pulling away. Anne, her mom, smiled as she stood with her hands clasped.

And, like at every home game, fans of all ages showed up in their No. 22 jerseys and T-shirts and many brought signs paying homage to the Iowa star.

"I try not to look in the stands the best I can," Clark said. "I don't know, my family has always been there for me through the ups and downs of my journey. More than anything, they just look at me and motivate me, and that's a sign of reassurance."

More Hawkeyes NCAA Tournament coverage:

Clark's first regular-season game at Carver-Hawkeye was in November 2020. She scored 27 points in a 96-81 win over Northern Iowa. COVID-19 restrictions limited attendance to family and media members. More numerous were those cardboard cutouts of fans, including one of Clark's golden retrievers, Bella.

The crowds showed up en masse as Clark's career continued to rise. Every home game sold out this year.

Carver-Hawkeye is where she broke Kelsey Plum's Division I women's all-time scoring record with a career-high 49 against Michigan. It's where she passed the late Pete Maravich of LSU as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I. She scored 35 against Ohio State that afternoon. It's where she made a couple late free throws Monday to set the Division I single-season scoring record.

She'll head to Albany for Saturday's Sweet 16 game against fifth-seeded Colorado with 1,113 points this season and 3,830 points in her 135 career games.

MARCH MADNESS: What to know about Iowa's Sweet 16 opponent Colorado

"You don't want to get emotional, you don't want to get emotional," she said. "I wish I could have stayed on the court a little longer."