Caitlin Clark turned down chance to play for esteemed Catholic school because of ‘gut feeling’
Like many other young athletes from the Midwest, Caitlin Clark grew up in awe of Notre Dame sports.
The WNBA phenom spoke about her visit experience Notre Dame and considering playing for the Fighting Irish during an interview on Thursday’s “New Heights” podcast.
“As a kid, you want to go to Notre Dame,” Clark said. “It’s the coolest thing in the world, it’s Notre Dame, it has that tradition.”
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University of Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark, #22, cheers with teammates before the end of the game against the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Big Ten women’s basketball championship at Target Center on Sunday, March 10, 2024, in Minneapolis. (Angelina Katsanis/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
Clark earlier he told ESPN that former Notre Dame basketball coach Muffet McGraw tried to recruit her and that Clark’s family also wanted her to play for the Fighting Irish.
“My family wanted me to go to Notre Dame,” Caitlin said. “At the end of the day they were like, you make your own decision. But it’s not NOTRE DAME! ‘Rudy’ was one of my favorite movies. How could you not choose Notre Dame?”
However, Clark said Thursday that she ultimately made the decision not to play there because of her gut feeling.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, #22, reacts to a call during the game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky on Saturday, June 1, 2024, at Grainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (IndyStar-USA TODAY Sports)
“I could feel it in my gut, I said ‘ahh, I shouldn’t go there,'” Clark said.
Clark’s feeling certainly didn’t steer her in the wrong direction. Instead, she ended up at her alma mater, Iowa State University, where she played her entire four-year college career. Clark broke multiple program and NCAA records for the Hawkeyes, including the all-time leading record among any college basketball player, men’s or women’s, in history.
Clark also met her current boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, while in Iowa. McCaffery was a player on the Iowa men’s basketball team for his father and head coach Fran McCaffery.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark hugs her boyfriend Connor McCaffery after a win over the Phoenix Mercury at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on August 16, 2024 in Indianapolis. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, without Clark, Notre Dame has done well, but not nearly as well as Iowa. Under current head coach Niele Ivey, the Fighting Irish made the NCAA Tournament three straight years from 2021-24, but lost in the regional semifinals all three times, while Clark led much deeper tournaments in 2023 and 2024.
Clark led Iowa to two straight national championship appearances en route to becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever. McCaffery was already in Indiana working on the Pacers’ coaching staff, and they’re still in town together because he now works on Butler’s men’s basketball coaching staff.
Clark was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year, was selected to the All-Star team, led the WNBA in assists and assists fever to the playoffs in her rookie season.
Time magazine also named Clark the athlete of the year for 2024.
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