Caitlin Clark knows WNBA title is ultimate goal, but hopes 'to get back to the playoffs' in rookie year
Clark makes her WNBA regular season debut on May 14
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Basketball sensation Caitlin Clark may be less than two weeks away from making her WNBA, but she already has a championship on her mind.
However, do not expect Clark and the Fever to compete for the title in the upcoming 2024 season, but the No. 1 overall draft pick is hoping to end Indiana's playoff drought.
"Yeah, I think (a championship) is certainly where our organization wants to get back to, but I think our goal this year is to get back to the playoffs, building blocks slowly one step at a time, you can’t put all your eggs in one basket," Clark told ESPN on Wednesday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Fever advanced to the WNBA Finals in 2015 and qualified for the postseason the following year. However, the franchise has largely struggled over the past seven seasons.
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Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever talks to the media during an introductory press conference on April 17, 2024 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
Indiana held the rights to the top overall draft picks for back-to-back years, drafting former South Carolina star Aliyah Boston in 2023 and selecting Clark last month.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Clark expressed optimism about the talent on the Fever's roster and appeared excited to learn from her new coaches.
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"I think our team, and all the talent on our team, can really feel the potential that this group really has, and the coaching staff can really feel it."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark speaks with the media after the WNBA basketball team practiced in Indianapolis on Sunday, April 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Clark led the Hawkeyes to back-to-back national championship game appearances, losing to LSU in 2023 and South Carolina in April. She finished her collegiate career as the NCAA Division I's all-time leading scorer and was a two-time Naismith College Player of the Year.
Clark helped bring unprecedented attention to women's college basketball, and she is already making a significant impact on the WNBA.
Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark holds her jersey following a WNBA basketball news conference on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
The Fever struggled to draw fans to Gainbridge Fieldhouse last season and averaged the second worst home attendance in the league in 2023.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In April, however, the team confirmed there had been a "spike" in ticket demand in anticipation of Clark's arrival.
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Clark is aware of the pressure she will be under during her rookie campaign, but she appears to be up to the challenge.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I think no matter what happens there’s going to be expectations and pressure on my shoulders and pressure on this team to be really good. That’s how you want it," Clark said. "We wouldn’t want anything else. We want people showing up to our games, people expecting us to win a lot of basketball games this year and I’m expecting myself to play really well. I don’t think it’s anything that’s ever been different for me."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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