In an almost empty enviornment in late November 2020, Caitlin Clark shot her first school 3-pointer. Time was ticking down within the first quarter of the Hawkeyes’ matchup in opposition to Northern Iowa. Clark pressured a steal at midcourt and weaved her approach to the fitting wing. With two defenders round her, she rose up. Her try was blocked.
That didn’t discourage her.
Now a senior, Clark is maybe the most important star throughout each males’s and girls’s school basketball. She’s made greater than 400 3-pointers all through her school profession and re-written the file guide — at Iowa and nationally. “We see it each single day in follow, she hits one (shot) that amazes you or makes one go that makes your jaw type of drop,” Iowa assistant Abby Stamp says.
Clark passes with pin-point accuracy. Teammates and coaches alike laud her work ethic and improved management expertise. Nevertheless it’s Clark’s 3-point taking pictures which frequently instantly jumps out to viewers. She has been in comparison with another latest greats within the basketball world — Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard and New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, to call just a few. However how does Clark really stack up when in comparison with such sharp-shooters?
Although the NBA and school 3-point line are completely different distances (the NBA is 23 toes, 9 inches on the prime of the arc, and the school line and WNBA line are each 22 toes, 1 ¾ inches on the prime), The Athletic dove into six classes to point out simply how prolific Clark actually is and to elucidate how she’s turn out to be so deadly from behind the arc. The comparability — use the button on the prime of most graphs to toggle by Clark’s numbers from final season and this yr (with video games by Dec. 14) — reveals how this faculty star already shoots like some all-time skilled greats.
Clark’s consolation at taking pictures from lengthy vary stems from years of follow. Whereas visiting dwelling in Des Moines, Clark typically shoots 100 brand 3-pointers throughout exercises, her coach Kevin O’Hare says. Her objective is to make at the very least 50. “It’s simply one thing that she’s at all times labored on,” O’Hare says. He provides that earlier than Clark makes an attempt any heaves she “does all of the early elementary issues to get out to that time.” Contemplating she makes an attempt that many from past 30 toes, a 25-to-30-foot 3 could be very a lot in vary.
By Dec. 14, simply greater than 31 % of Clark’s shot makes an attempt got here from between 25 and 30 toes of the rim, which is 22.1 % above this yr’s nationwide common in school, based on CBB Analytics. She is taking pictures 40.5 % on such appears to be like, greater than 11 % better than her friends.
It’s not a coincidence she shoots from such a distance, neither is it likelihood when such makes an attempt go in. Along with offseason coaching classes, Stamp says Clark works on such makes an attempt earlier than, throughout and after follow. Iowa bigs additionally typically set greater screens in practices when Clark is on the ball, figuring out that she’s extra more likely to pull up from such distances in video games. In that regard, she’s like Curry, Lillard and Ionescu in how their very own groups alter spacing when they’re on the ground.
Iowa coach Lisa Bluder at all times has been offensive-minded, imploring her groups to play with tempo. The setup has been splendid for Clark, who’s keen on pushing the basketball and making a play earlier than her opponents can get set. Clark has taken greater than 50 3s within the first 10 seconds of a possession this season. She took 137 above-the-break 3s final season, taking pictures 39 % on such makes an attempt. “Generally she’s gonna get that greatest look straight away as we come throughout half courtroom,” Stamp says.
In these early-shot conditions, Clark navigates a balancing act, avoiding forcing up pictures and as a substitute determining when to get teammates concerned and permit possessions to develop. “It’s not a simple science, the shot choice query along with her, as a result of we’ve seen her make so many difficult pictures over the course of practices and her profession,” Stamp says. Iowa views try for all of its gamers as one that’s in rhythm and in vary. Clark’s vary is, in fact, completely different from her friends, as is her willingness to tug up straight away. She’s like Curry in that regard, with the Warriors star having averaged 5.2 3-point makes an attempt final season with between 15-24 seconds remaining on the shot clock.
Clark, not surprisingly, is Iowa’s lead creator. This season, based on CBB Analytics, her utilization price is within the a hundredth percentile nationally, trailing solely USC freshman star JuJu Watkins. Along with being an elite shooter, Clark passes with precision. As her school profession has progressed, she has discovered new methods to complete across the rim as effectively. “We’ve been simply so thrilled with the way in which she’s developed her complete recreation,” Stamp says.
From the perimeter, although, Clark has proven she will create her personal shot and profit from kick-outs from her teammates. Final season, she led the nation in unassisted 3-pointers, with 1.8 per recreation. She is main the nation once more this season, rating within the 98th percentile of assisted 3-pointers as effectively by making 0.7 extra per recreation. “I’d examine her to Steph; clearly, you’re taking it with a grain of salt,” O’Hare says. “In how far out she shoots, her launch, how good she is with the ball in her arms to create stuff.” As the information reveals, Clark, Lillard and Curry all can convert on assisted and unassisted possibilities. Ionescu has confirmed she will shoot from lengthy vary within the WNBA, however during the last three seasons, she made 0.56 unassisted 3s per recreation.
Clark seldom shies away from making an attempt a 3-pointer off the catch. As an Iowa freshman, she took 116 catch-and-shoot 3s, making 46.6 %, based on Synergy Sports activities. Each her complete variety of catch-and-shoot makes an attempt and proportion slipped as a sophomore. However all through her tenure, the Hawkeyes’ teaching employees has continued to develop that a part of Clark’s 3-point arsenal. “We actually labored on attempting to return off screens, change pace, change instructions, dash to the ball, get your toes prepared, get your self sq. to have the ability to catch-and-shoot off screens extra,” Stamp says.
In non-public exercises, that has meant placing down cones to mark Iowa bigs setting screens, and mimicking the various defensive machinations an opposing participant might take when attempting to sluggish Clark. She is on tempo to shoot extra catch-and-shoot 3s this season than beforehand in her school profession. Not surprisingly, it’s an space through which she’s thrived — taking pictures a greater proportion than Lillard in his closing season with the Portland Path Blazers and practically matching Curry’s output in 2022-23. Clark’s present taking pictures proportion on catch-and-shoot 3s can also be superior to Ionescu throughout her closing season at Oregon, when she shot a still-impressive 34 % on such possibilities, based on Synergy Sports activities.
Few gamers, if any, have had greener lights than Clark. With each milestone, she cements the truth that she has achieved lots that no different participant in school has carried out. Nonetheless, Stamp does consider one other comparability for Clark. She cites Megan Gustafson, a former Naismith Participant of the 12 months, who had been Iowa’s all-time main scorer till Clark handed her earlier this season. Gustafson is a 6-foot-3 publish participant who tried solely two 3s in 4 years at Iowa, however she and Clark are each “masters of their craft” within the eyes of Stamp.
This previous weekend, Clark moved to No. 9 all-time in profession scoring in ladies’s school basketball. If she stays wholesome and maintains her present scoring common, she is on tempo to go former Washington star Kelsey Plum for No. 1 earlier than the top of the season. Whether or not Clark then decides to enter the WNBA or return for a fifth yr at Iowa stays unsure, however her success has already put her in conversations with basketball’s elite.
— The Athletic’s Seth Partnow contributed to this report.
(Illustration and knowledge visuals: John Bradford / The Athletic; Picture of Stephen Curry: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Photos, photographs of Caitlin Clark: G Fiume / Getty Photos and Steph Chambers / Getty Photos, picture of Sabrina Ionescu / Mitchell Leff)
