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WITH BREAKING NEWS. A BIG HAWKEYE STAR MAKES A MAJOR AND MUCH ANTICIPATED DECISION. CAITLIN CLARK IS FORGOING HER LAST YEAR OF ELIGIBILITY IN COLLEGE AND NOW DECLARING FOR THE WNBA DRAFT THIS YEAR. CLARK SHARED HER DECISION ON SOCIAL MEDIA JUST THIS AFTERNOON BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC, SHE’D BEEN ELIGIBLE FOR A FIFTH SEASON, BUT SHE SAYS SHE’S NOW READY FOR THE NEXT STEP IN HER CHAPTER. ����vlog HAS LIVE TEAM COVERAGE TONIGHT. FOLLOWING THIS NEWS AND THE REACTION TO IT. WE BEGIN WITH SPORTS DIRECTOR SCOTT REISTER, WHO IS LIVE AT WELLS FARGO ARENA, SCOTT BERNINA DILLON JR. HEY GUYS, AND TALK ABOUT TIME. WE WERE ALREADY HERE COVERING THE GIRLS STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT WHEN THAT NEWS HIT. IT SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE. EVERYONE WAS LOOKING AT THEIR PHONES AND TALKING ABOUT IT. I WAS ALSO FORTUNATE TO BE RIGHT NEXT TO IOWA ASSISTANT COACH JAN JENSEN, WHO TOLD ME THAT IT’S A MIX OF EMOTIONS RIGHT NOW. CERTAINLY THRILLED FOR CAITLIN, BUT ALSO NOSTALGIC. AND I MEAN, WHAT A RIDE THIS HAS BEEN FOR CAITLIN CLARK AND THIS HAWKEYE TEAM. SHE TALKED ABOUT THIS DECISION FOR WEEKS LEADING UP TO IT, AND JENSEN TOLD ME THAT THE DECISION CAME THIS WEEK. CLARK NOTIFIED THE COACHES THAT IT WOULD BE COMING TODAY. AND THE TIMING IS PERFECT FOR CAITLIN. SINCE SUNDAY IS SENIOR DAY, THE BIG ONE AGAINST OHIO STATE AT HOME, CLARK, THE TOP SCORER IN THE HISTORY OF WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, SHE LED IOWA TO THEIR FIRST EVER NATIONAL TITLE GAME LAST SEASON. SHE’S BEEN EVEN BETTER THIS YEAR. HERE’S A BIT OF INSIGHT ON HOW THIS MAJOR DECISION PLAYED OUT. WE TALKED ABOUT THE PROS AND THE CONS, AND OBVIOUSLY EVERYBODY WANTS HER TO COME BACK. THAT’S IN IOWA FAN. BUT WE ALSO UNDERSTAND ADD THE PRESSURE SHE’S BEEN CARRYING IS GREAT RIGHT. AND THE NEW FRONTIERS I THINK CAITLIN IS WIRED FOR OUR CHALLENGES. SHE’S WIRED FOR EVERYTHING THAT’S ON THAT NEXT HORIZON. SO AS A COACH YOU KNOW YOU YOU’RE YOU’RE OUR JOBS ARE TO HELP THEM BECOME THE BEST THEY CAN BE. YEAH. AND JENSEN WAS QUICK TO POINT OUT THAT ANY OTHER TIME THIS THIS WOULDN’T EVEN BE A DECISION. IT’S JUST BECAUSE OF THE COVID YEAR SITUATION. THEY’RE VERY GRATEFUL AND THRILLED FOR THE FOUR YEARS THEY GOT OUT OF CAITLIN, AND EVEN MORE EXCITED FOR WHAT’S STILL ON THE TABLE THIS SEASON. IT HAS BEEN HISTORIC AND AWESOME. ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END HERE FOR THE IOWA HAWKEYES, BUT IT’S NOT DONE YET. REPORTING LIVE IN DES MOINES, SCOTT REISTER ����vlog IOWA’S SPORTS LEADER SCOTT, THANK YOU. AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS BREAKING THE INTERNET. YEAH, SHE’S CURRENTLY THE NUMBER ONE TRENDING TOPIC ON X, FORMERLY KNOWN AS TWITTER CLARKE LIKELY TO BE THE VERY FIRST PICK IN THE DRAFT. AND THAT PICK GOES TO THE INDIANA FEVER, WHICH POSTED THIS TO X SAYING NUMBER ONE, A REMINDER THERE ARE JUST 46 DAYS UNTIL THE DRAFT. IOWA SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY CALLING TODAY A SAD DAY FOR HAWKEYE FANS, BUT SAYS CLARKE WILL HAVE FANS NO MATTER WHERE SHE PLAYS. THE NEWS COMES DURING THE TOURNAMENT WHERE CLARK’S JOURNEY STARTED. ����vlog’S PEPPER. PEPPER JOINS US WITH REACTION FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT. THAT’S RIGHT, LAURA JODI FANS HERE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LAST GAME HERE AT WELLS FARGO STADIUM WHEN THE NEWS WENT OUT OVER TWITTER, CAITLIN CLARK TWEETING OUT THAT SHE’S GOING TO THE WNBA NOW WE HAVE A LOOK HERE AT THE STADIUM. FANS TOLD US YOU COULD ACTUALLY FEEL THE NEWS SPREADING THROUGH THIS ROOM WHEN THAT TWEET WENT OUT. IT’S BECAUSE FOR THESE FANS, CARL IS THE PINNACLE OF WOMEN’S BASKETBALL AND THEY LOOK TO HER AS AN INSPIRATION. ASHTON WHETHER IT’S ON THE COURT OR FROM THE STANDS. NOW, I CAUGHT UP WITH A HAWKEYE ALUM WHO IS HERE TODAY WITH HER SON WATCHING THE GAME AND AND ABOUT HOW THEY ARE REACTING TO THE BIG NEWS. WE’RE VERY HAPPY FOR HER. KIND OF SAD TO SEE HER GO FROM IOWA, BUT I DEFINITELY THINK IT’S THE RIGHT DECISION BECAUSE SHE HAS BROKEN EVERY RECORD. AND I THINK THAT’S THE WAY SHE’LL KEEP THE FOUR YEAR RECORD BREAKING VERSUS HAVING AN ASTERISK NEXT TO HER NAME. SO I THINK SHE DID THE RIGHT THING. AND TONIGHT AT SIX AND TEN, WE’LL HAVE MORE REACTION FROM SOMEWHERE AROUND THE STADIUM. SOME STUDENTS AND SOME GIRLS WHO LOOK TO HER AS AN INSPIRATION IN WELLS FARGO STADIUM.