There were many reasons to believe Caitlin Clark would eventually pick Notre Dame, and she almost did. The Fighting Irish program was traditional, had a recent national championship, and had players that Clark grew up watching.

Choosing Iowa was not a call many would have made, but it was the right decision. While on the Post Moves podcast with Candace Parker and Aliyah Boston, Clark talked about how close she was to selecting Notre Dame and what made her decide not to select them.

"I told Muffet McGraw I was going to go there, and then I had to call her, like, no, I actually changed my mind. I like Notre Dame. Like, it's Notre Dame, obviously their tradition, and I grew up watching Skylar Diggins. I was like in high school or about to start high school when Enrique made those two game winners, like that was a core memory for me."

That hesitation was logical for the time. Notre Dame was not only a traditional elite program, but also a championship title winner. The Fighting Irish won the National Championship in 2018 with Coach McGraw, and the year Clark committed, Notre Dame went to the championship game once again.

Skylar Diggins-Smith had already shown what could be accomplished by the program’s players when it came to professional basketball.

But like in so many other situations, Caitlin Clark could not ignore something that was calling her. On the same Post Moves podcast, she disclosed what the deciding factor was

"Something was just telling me that was just not the right place for me. I liked the idea of staying home and liked trying to take a place that meant a lot to me, and like the state of Iowa to somewhere they hadn't been in a really long time."

She opted for Iowa, and her choice brought loud results. Clark led the Hawkeyes to consecutive National Championship appearances in both 2023 and 2024, the program's inaugural back-to-back since 1993.

In addition, Caitlin Clark ended her collegiate career as the program's historical leader for both points (3,951) and assists (1,144). No other Hawkeye, female or male, achieved this milestone before her.

That same determination that Clark displayed at Iowa is being challenged at the professional level. Unfortunately, her Indiana Fever are struggling at the most unfortunate moment.

Caitlin Clark and the Fever Hit a Rough Stretch

Clark’s career has become difficult. The Indiana Fever were defeated for a second consecutive time on Saturday. The Fever lost to the Portland Fire 100-84 in a game that was not competitive at any point.

Clark, who is the franchise's face, scored six points, shot one for seven, and spent 22 minutes on the bench because of five fouls.

Portland clearly had the advantage. After the first quarter, Portland was leading 29-15. By the third quarter, Portland's lead was 25. Carla Leite scored 18 points and 12 assists, making it the first-ever double-double in Fire history. Emily Engstler was also key to the victory, adding 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Clark, despite her struggles shooting, had six assists, as did Aliyah Boston, who scored 18 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. The team needed more to win.

This game wasn't an isolated incident. The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Indiana Fever 90-88 just a game prior. Clark missed the Fever's previous game in Portland due to back pain.

Can the Fever turn it around, or is this season slipping away from Clark? Comment down.

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta