The Big Lead

Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins talk about Caitlin Clark's impact

By Aikansh Chaudhary

Apr 5, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) and Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) react in the second quarter in the semifinals of the Final Four of the womens 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Apr 5, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) and Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) react in the second quarter in the semifinals of the Final Four of the womens 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Before coming to the WNBA, Caitlin Clark took the world by storm during her NCAA career with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Clark finished her college career as the all-time NCAA scoring leader.

Evidently, Clark's rise to stardom also served as an upliftment for women's basketball around the globe. In fact, the Iowa Hawkeyes graduate has brought millions of eyes to the WNBA during her rookie year.

Even though she is no longer a college player, whenever the Hawkeyes are scheduled to play, fans cannot avoid talking about Clark.

On top of that, basketball players in college also look up to her and admit Clark's importance to the rise of women's basketball in general.

RELATED: Caitlin Clark hits fan with errant tee shot at LPGA pro-am (VIDEO)

"Caitlin brought so much new attention to the rise of women's college basketball and the WNBA and women's sports in general," UConn star Paige Bueckers said. "I feel like the weight of the world is on her shoulder and she just has this heavy burden to carry and she does it with grace and humility."

Bueckers, who is predicted to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, had nothing but praise for her former rival. In addition, USC Trojans' JuJu Watkins also shared her thoughts on CC.

"Great player, good person as well," Watkins said. "She's been great, I'm really excited for her at this next stage of her career."

Clark's influence on college basketball is arguably greater than any current CBB star in the NCAA. Speaking of which, Clark's former team, the Iowa Hawkeyes, are all set to face off against Drake in a blockbuster Sunday night game.

The above-attached video, shared by Fox College Hoops, was essentially a tribute to Clark's impressive NCAA career with the Hawkeyes.

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