What makes Caitlin Clark so special? Steph Curry, Maya Moore other hoops legends weigh in

In hindsight, we probably should have seen this coming. 

When Caitlin Clark opened her college career for Iowa by scoring 27 points vs. Northern Iowa on Nov. 25, 2020, it turned out to be a glimpse of what was to come. The Des Moines native has gone on to average 28.2 points over four spectacular seasons, putting her in position to become the all-time leading scorer in NCAA college basketball history. 

“The second or third time I had their game, she was leading the country in scoring as a freshman, already drawing the best defenders and it’s like, this girl is a killer,” said Christy Winters-Scott, the lead analyst at the Big Ten Network. “She doesn’t hold back. When you overthink it, when you’re calculating but you don’t strike, you’re going to be too careful. She’s striking every time. She’s bold-spirited, high risk and high reward, but you get so much reward for what she does. 

“She’s not just a high-powered scoring machine, she’s a flat-out hooper.”

In a testament to her brilliance and efficiency, Clark isn’t just going to pass former Washington All-American Kelsey Plum as the all-time leading scorer in women’s NCAA history. Provided she stays on her current clip of 32.2 points per game, she will pass former LSU standout Pete Maravich, who starred for the Tigers from 1967-70 and scored 3,667 over just three seasons.

It would be a fitting milestone. Clark and her superior court vision are often compared to Maravich, and she is dubbed “Ponytail Pete” in a nod to his “Pistol Pete” moniker. 

To commemorate Clark becoming the top scorer in women’s NCAA basketball history, USA TODAY Sports spoke to Clark’s friends, family, opponents and admirers about some of the biggest and best shots of her illustrious career, letting them explain what makes the 6-foot point guard so special.  

Opinion:Sheryl Swoopes' incorrect digs at Caitlin Clark an example of old-fashioned player hatin'

Caitlin Clark vs. Michigan State: Jan. 2, 2024

Point 3,189

With 22 seconds left and the score tied at 73, Clark caught the ball, assessed if she had any open passing lanes, then took one dribble to the left and launched a 3 from the logo, her signature shot. It swished through the net as the buzzer sounded.

More:Caitlin Clark is known for logo 3s. Are high school players trying to emulate her?

“To have rhythm and balance when you’re shooting off the dribble, that’s the hardest thing to master … especially when you’re a playmaker like her and you’re deciding if you’re going to pass or shoot. That’s why she’s such a threat, because she can do both, and both are lethal. With (long) 3s, you build confidence based on the reps you put in. I say it’s deserved confidence because I know she’s spent plenty of time in the gym — the mechanics, the muscle memory, when you get out on the court you just let it go. Once you start to see it go in, you build an identity around that, a confidence and a swagger, and she has that.”

—Warriors guardStephen Curry, four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP and the best shooter in league history

Caitlin Clark vs. South Carolina: March 31, 2023, NCAA semifinals

Point 2,669

In one of the biggest upsets in the history of the women’s NCAA tournament, a brilliant performance by Clark — 41 points, eight assists and six rebounds — helped Iowa pull off a 77-73 win over top-seeded and previously undefeated South Carolina. Clark scored in a dizzying array of ways against the Gamecocks, including a leaner with 8:39 left in the third quarter that she created with her surprisingly swift first step. She became the first player in NCAA tournament history to record back-to-back 40-point games, and it sent Iowa to its first appearance in the title game, against LSU.

“She’s a generational talent. I couldn’t take my eyes off her when they were playing South Carolina. It was the first time I’d ever seen her play in person (and what doesn’t show up on TV) is how she gets herself open, how she can use that one little step back move, how you think you’ve got her guarded and she can blow by you without blazing speed but a great first step. She’s one of those who can take a team, put them on her shoulders and take them to the mountaintop.” 

—LSU coachKim Mulkey

Caitlin Clark vs. Iowa State: Dec. 9, 2021

Point 114

In her first appearance in the heated in-state rivalry, Clark led unranked Iowa to a stunning comeback over No. 24 Iowa State, scoring 34 in an 82-80 win. With Iowa trailing by 17 to start the fourth quarter, Clark went off, scoring 14 in the last period. Her signature bucket came with 22 seconds to play and Iowa trailing 80-79, when she hit what would be the game-winning 3. It was the first game-winner of her college career.

“It’s a rivalry game, it’s COVID so no one is in the gym, and she just leads them to this incredible comeback. I remember her hitting the shot, them missing a look on the next possession and then she’s just running from one end of the (court to the) other, her arms spread out. The moment is never too big for her. I’ve always been amazed at her willingness to put the team on her shoulders, to bring them back by going nuts or taking the big shot. She’s never afraid to take the big shot, whether she makes it or not. She always wants to take it — how many people, especially freshmen, would shy away from putting their neck out like that? But she’s always willing to do it.” 

—Brent Clark, Caitlin Clark’s dad

More:Is Caitlin Clark the best player ... ever? Five questions about Iowa's transcendent guard

Caitlin Clark vs. Virginia Tech: Nov. 9, 2023

Point 2,761

In a matchup of 2023 Final Four participants, Clark did a little bit of everything, proving once again that she is the epitome of the phrase “pick your poison” — and with her, everything really is deadly. Though she’s known for her range and drives downhill, Clark showed off another skill when she came off a screen, caught the ball on the block, felt the double and turned to hit a fadeaway. 

“We don’t see the midrange game much, but when she gets cut off at the rim, she keeps her dribble alive and reverse pivots. Most people think she only practices the logo 3s and finishing at the rim. I’m impressed with this midrange counter … you have to practice this footwork to get it right. She always makes the defense wrong … She’s going to wind up being the best offensive player we’ve ever had at the collegiate level.”

—ESPN college basketball analyst Debbie Antonelli

Caitlin Clark vs. Michigan: Feb. 6, 2022 

Points: 1,356-1,372

With Iowa down to seven healthy players because of a COVID outbreak, the Hawkeyes trailed 70-54 to start the fourth. That’s when Clark went off, scoring 25 in the final period, including 17 in a row that featured a barrage of 3-pointers. She finished with a career-high 46 in a 98-90 loss. 

“We always knew there was something special about her. She’s always been a little different in a good way … but that whole sequence was pretty unbelievable. She just let it fly. She started to shoot even deeper 3s (during) that game. Sometimes that’s the only shot she’s going to have open, right when she comes across the half court. And some of those were really from the M, from the middle of the logo. It was spectacular. Michigan people were like, ‘What is happening?!’ … that’s when, for me personally, it was like, ‘Whoa.’ ”

—Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder

Caitlin Clark vs. Kentucky: March 23, 2021, NCAA second round

Point 774

In what would become Clark’s NCAA tournament coming-out party, the then-freshman scored 35, also tallying seven rebounds and seven assists. Fifth-seeded Iowa breezed to an 86-72 upset win over fourth-seeded Kentucky with Clark outplaying future No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard. Her most impressive shot came with 46.4 seconds left in the third quarter, when Clark drove from the right side and double-pumped — rare for a woman — hanging in the air long enough to let a defender fly by before banking in the shot. 

"I respect any ladies taking the game to the next level. Being a bigger guard, that always helps, and Caitlin has that. That (size) and her logo 3, that’s rare. But for any guard it’s about finding your spots and understanding angles. That’s an intuitive feeling as a scorer. What people don’t understand is, this game is about reading and reacting. I think that’s undervalued and underappreciated. You can’t give me a map and tell me where to go ahead of time — I have to see how the defense is playing me, what they’re giving me, and you have to make the decision in a split second while always being aggressive."

—Former Ohio State All-American and current Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell, who scored 3,402 points from 2014-2018 at OSU

Caitlin Clark vs. Maryland: Feb. 3, 2024

Point 3,460

Tied at 76 after an 8-0 run from unranked Maryland, and with 17,950 fans packed into the Xfinity Center — most alternating between cheers of awe for Clark’s skill and boos because it’s fun to hate on the best player in the game — Clark pump-faked, took one dribble to the left and nailed a long 3 with 5:54 to play. The shot put Iowa in front for good, and the Hawkeyes went on to win, 93-85.  

“To see her play in person, the only thing I can equate it to is when (Michael) Jordan would come to town … She has so much creativity in her game; it’s not just that you’re seeing a great basketball player, she’s an artist. The logo shot on the left side, it was just a flick of her wrist — to have that kind of strength and explosion, to be able to thrust that ball through the air with that kind of pin-point accuracy, you don’t see that.”

—Fox Sports lead college basketball play-by-play announcerGus Johnson 

Caitlin Clark vs. Northern Iowa: Nov. 12, 2023

Point 2,806

It became clear early in Clark’s career that she would eventually become Iowa’s all-time leading scorer, passing former All-American Megan Gustafson. It was plain old fun that she did it on a post-up vs. the Panthers. 

“Her freshman year, as soon as I watched her play I was like, this is ridiculous. She creates a lot of challenges because she’s so unpredictable. You don’t know what she’s going to do at any given moment. I thought it was really cool that with all that she does, she got the (Iowa) record on a post move. Her off-ball movement has gotten really good since her freshman year … to always have that much (defensive) contact on you, it’s exhausting. She makes it look easy — but it’s not. She works extremely hard for every possession she gets.” 

—Megan Gustafson, Iowa All-American who played for the Hawkeyes from 2015-19 and now a member of the Las Vegas Aces

Caitlin Clark vs. Louisville: March 25, 2023, NCAA Elite Eight

Point 2,620

Trailing 8-0 early vs. the fifth-seeded Cardinals, Clark took over, reeling off seven unanswered points. But she really started to heat up with 2:46 left in the first quarter, when she hit back-to-back 3s. The second gave Iowa a 20-18 lead, an edge it would never relinquish, as the Hawkeyes went on to win 97-83. She finished with 41 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, the 11th triple-double of her career. She became the first player in NCAA tournament history, man or woman, to record a 40-point triple-double. She accounted for 72% of Iowa’s offense, and became the first player in Division I history to score 900 points and hand out 300 assists. 

“When you’re one-and-done, the pressure’s on, everyone is scouting as intensely as they do, you see what players are made of. Watching her in the tournament, especially the run they made … when you’re a really good offensive player and you come on the scene it’s like, OK, people are going to take awhile to figure you out. Then you do it again, and again and you keep getting better like she did, that’s the marker of someone who’s the real deal.” 

— Former WNBA MVPMaya Moore, a three-time national player of the year who led UConn to two titles, was the No. 1 pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft and is Clark’s favorite player

Caitlin Clark vs. Indiana: Feb. 26, 2023

Point 2,452

Using a sideline out-of-bounds quick-hitter from the Las Vegas Aces’ playbook and with just 1.5 seconds remaining, Clark ran defender Chloe Moore-McNeil off a tough screen set by Monika Czinano before catching and drilling a fall-away 3 at the buzzer. The bucket gave No. 6 Iowa an 86-85 upset win over the eventual Big Ten champion and sent Carver-Hawkeye Arena into a frenzy. 

“Her ability to make the right reads, even when she’s not shooting … I don’t think there’s anybody similar. A perfect word to use is ‘bait.’ She can get the officials to hone in on her. When she’s attacking, they’re most definitely looking (for fouls). Even out on the arc, before she cuts, she’s good at baiting defenders, getting you to swim and hook — and then it’s a foul on the defender.” 

–Indiana guard Chloe Moore-McNeil, widely regarded as the best on-ball defender in the Big Ten

Follow Lindsay Schnell on social media @Lindsay_Schnell