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What Caitlin Clark said after being taken No. 1 by Indiana Fever in 2024 WNBA draft
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- What Caitlin Clark said after being taken No. 1 by Indiana Fever in 2024 WNBA draft
Superstar Caitlin Clark was drafted first overall by the Indiana Fever on Monday night at the 2024 WNBA draft .
Here is what college basketball's all-time leading scorer said after she was drafted. This Q&A has been edited for brevity and clarity.
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Now that you're officially the No. 1 pick, what about your game do you feel like is going to translate best over to the W and specifically in Indiana ?
"Yeah, I think the biggest thing is definitely my passing. I think that's at times what gets overlooked in my game. I think the scoring and the long shots is what everybody falls in love with. Then obviously going to an organization that has, in my eyes, one of the best post players in the entire world. My point guard eyes just light up at that. And obviously, Aliyah (Boston) has been one of my teammates before. I'm excited. I can't wait."
Who's your biggest rival going into the season?
"I don't really feel like I have a rival. I think the biggest thing is the WNBA is so competitive right now. Every single time you step on the floor, it's going to be a rivalry. I think so many teams are loaded with so much talent. This is the most competitive league in the entire world. Less than 144 spots.
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"So you'd better bring it every single night, and I think that's exactly what I'm going to do."
I saw you share a moment with (Iowa coach) Lisa (Bluder) after getting the pick. Can you take us through what that conversation was, what you guys were talking about, and what it meant to share that with her after you guys are essentially the two who believed you could make it to back-to-back Final Fours?
"I think the biggest thing is I vividly remember Coach Bluder during my home visit in my recruiting. ... the biggest thing is we talked about this moment, we dreamed of this moment, but she also believed I would be here and she coached me really hard to get to this moment.
"There was a lot of ups and downs. Something I really appreciated about Coach Bluder is no matter what awards or success or wins we ever had or I had, it's like she never stopped coaching me, she never stopped holding me accountable. She always thought there was ways for me to get better. She still thinks that, and I still think that."
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Which player are you looking forward to playing with or against this season?
"Definitely Aliyah Boston . Come on now. I think also Erica Wheeler . A vet, somebody that has been in the league a long time, somebody that is in the organization ... somebody that I can lean on."
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You've had a whirlwind and a long season. Are you glad that this part of it is over and that you can kind of focus on being a WNBA rookie?
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"I think obviously the course of the last few weeks has been pretty insane in my life, the last two months playing basketball as long as I possibly could in my college career, and then went home for a couple days. I got off the plane when we landed in Iowa City, drove directly home, had my mom cook me a meal, and then I drove back to Iowa City the next day. We had our celebration, and then I flew to L.A., flew to New York and now I'm here sitting at this stage.
"I think the biggest thing is I'm just very lucky to be in this moment, and all these opportunities and these things, they're once in a lifetime, and when things might get tiring or you have to do stuff, I think the biggest thing is look at it just as an opportunity. This isn't something everybody gets to do."
How do you plan to maximize this business opportunity now that you are in the WNBA? Also, what has been the biggest piece of business advice that somebody has given you going into this next phase in your basketball career?
"I feel like it doesn't change a ton from how I lived my life over the course of the last year. Sponsorships stay the same. The people around me, agents and whatnot, have been able to help me and guide me through the course of the last year, and I don't know if I would be in this moment if it wasn't for a lot of them, and my mom has done a lot, my dad has done a lot.
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"I think that's just the biggest thing. The advice I would say is just lean on the people around you. I don't have to do every single thing. ... My focus is solely on basketball."
The Fever haven't been to the postseason since Tamika Catchings was on the team. You've had some time to think about what your role could be in Indiana. How important or how excited are you about the prospect of hopefully getting the Fever back into the playoffs with this young core that you're building around?
"... our goal is to get back to championship habits, and I think it's so cool for me. Like I vividly remember my freshman year during the bubble, we played Kentucky in the round of 32 and Tamika was calling the game and I was like tweaking out. Like I couldn't believe she was calling one of my games. Somebody I idolized, somebody that I loved and somebody that is not only a great basketball player and everything that she did but she's a tremendous person.
"I think that speaks to the organization as a whole and everything that they do is so first class, and I'm very lucky to be going there."
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Can you take us through the emotions of being the No. 1 all-time scorer in the NCAA to the emotions you felt when you heard your name called today?
"... I feel like this was definitely a little bit more emotional for me, and I think that's because when you're in the heat of competition, you don't have time to really feel your emotions.
"But when you're kind of just sitting at a table waiting for your name to be called, I think that really allows the emotions to feed you and you're with your family. ... So sharing that moment with them and enjoying it, and people that have really had my back and believed in me more than anyone is super special."
You're going to a basketball-crazy state in Indiana. Indiana is basketball. Basketball is Indiana. Just your thoughts of being part of that.
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"Well, I know the Indiana Hoosiers didn't love me too much during my career, but hopefully we can turn a lot of them into Fever fans, if they're not already.
"I think going to a state that supports not only basketball but women's basketball, going and playing in front of — at Indiana, the place is sold out. Doing the same for the Fever is certainly our goal, and having a lot of fans there every single night.
"For myself I can't imagine a more perfect fit ... I couldn't be more excited to get there."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What Caitlin Clark said after Fever picked her No. 1 in WNBA draft
