I’ve been a fan of women’s basketball since covering my first game as a sophomore back at UNC. But I have to say, the quality of play, especially at the college level, has hit new heights over these past few years.
That was never more clear than Sunday afternoon, as ESPN’s College Gameday hosted its second women’s show at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, for the matchup between No. 2 Indiana and the No. 7 Hawkeyes. After 39 minutes of hotly contested action, Iowa found itself down two points, 85-83, with less than five seconds remaining. Backed against the wall, the Hawkeyes turned to their star player in Caitlin Clark, who caught the inbounds pass, turned and launched what ended up being the game-winning 3-pointer as time expired.
Clark is the epitome of the growth of women’s basketball over the past several years. In the 2000s and 2010s, the game was often dominated by taller players who controlled the front court like Lisa Leslie, Britney Griner, Elena Delle Donne, Tina Charles and Breanna Stewart. But now, Clark and a talented group of guards are ushering in a new era defined by perimeter play and PLENTY of buckets.
Clark, for her part, is averaging 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game this season, including her 34-point outburst against Indiana on Sunday. This past December, she tied Delle Donne for the fastest college women’s basketball player to reach 2,000 career points, doing so in just 75 games. She also has over 700 career assists, and leads all Division-I women this season with 8.4 assists per game.
The junior’s game is the perfect mix of creative and deadly. Her handles in isolation bring to mind a prime James Harden, while her pull-up 3-pointers from just inside half court are reminiscent of Stephen Curry.
Clark is just one of several college guards who figure to be the next wave of WNBA greats. Among the other perimeter players who have shined over the past few years are UConn guards Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers, who are both recovering from knee injuries at the moment. As far as younger professional players, the New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu, the Dallas Wings’ Arike Ogunbowale and the Indiana Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell are all guards under 25 who are inspiring the next generation of young hoopsters.
Now, all this talk about guards isn’t to say that front court players have lost any of their luster. Arguably, or maybe not so arguably, the best college basketball player in the entire country right now is South Carolina senior Aliyah Boston who is averaging 13.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per season.
Standing at 6-foot-5, Boston is an incredibly dominant player who can turn it on in the biggest of moments. Playing in last year’s NCAA Tournament as a junior, Boston averaged 16.8 points and 15.2 rebounds per game while shooting 53.2% from the field. She is considered the odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft.
Whether the future sees players like Boston, or those like Clark, have more success remains to be seen, but it’s going to be fun as hell to watch both players start their professional careers over these next few years. And it will be even cooler watching the players who spring up over the next several years, inspired by today’s best, as they continue to push the game to new heights.
Sports Editor Jeremy Vernon can be reached at jeremy@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @jbo_vernon.