How Caitlin Clark, the NCAA D-I scoring leader, inspires girls at TSSAA basketball tournament
Dasha Biriuk said it’s no exaggeration that she watches every Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball game on television.
When the Webb School - Bell Buckle star tried to save her team’s season last week, she thought about Iowa star Caitlin Clark. Biriuk attempted two 3-pointers against Knoxville Webb in the final seconds of a TSSAA girls basketball state tournament Division II-AA semifinal.
“I wanted to make those last two so bad,” said Biriuk, whose shots rimmed out. “I try those in practice, you know, from the logo (pretending) I’m Caitlin Clark. There are no words for her.”
Christ Presbyterian Academy coach Becky LeGate said that type of response from TSSAA girls basketball players is why Clark’s stardom in 2023-24 is important for their sport.
Clark, who thrills audiences with deep 3-pointers, became the NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader last week. She has 3,685 career points heading into March Madness and is averaging an NCAA women’s-best 32.3 points and 8.6 assists.
More than 1 million people follow her Instagram account. She was the headliner when Iowa and DePaul broke the women’s basketball game attendance record with 55,646 fans during their October exhibition.
“These two in kindergarten were wearing the CPA jersey and dreaming of being here today,” LeGate said, pointing to CPA guards Merli Routh and Lily Morrow after their DII-AA semifinal. “(Clark) does that for girls who want to play (beyond high school). It’s amazing for the game.”
Caitlin Clark’s playing style inspires TSSAA girls basketball players
Clark reaches the widest audience of her peers. When she scored 35 points against Ohio State last week to break Pete Maravich’s all-time NCAA Division I scoring record, the game drew an average viewership of 3.4 million, the highest for a women’s basketball game since UConn and Tennessee drew 3.88 million in 1999, according to SportsMedia Watch.
Former Brentwood Academy coach Rhonda Brown, who played at Vanderbilt and later in the WNBA, believes Clark’s captivating play appeals to everyone, especially young girls.
“I was watching our kids win the middle school championship recently and there are some young kids shooting from way out now. The sixth-graders were bombing them,” Brown said. “I think (Clark’s) range just shows that girls can shoot out there.”
Clark’s 3-pointer against Michigan last month to break Kelsey Plum’s NCAA Division I women’s scoring record — which Clark launched from a logo halfway between the 3-point line and midcourt — helped turn “From the Logo” into a catchphrase.
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"It's crazy because she's a girl. At the end of the day, most girls can't really do that," said Clarksville's Imari Berry, a Clemson signee, after the Lady Wildcats were eliminated by Bradley Central in Wednesday's Class 4A quarterfinal.
After his team's DII-AA semifinal last week, Knoxville Catholic coach Travis Mains chimed in when Lady Irish star and FAU signee Sydney Mains was asked about Clark’s shooting: “Don’t get her thinking about logo shots, man.”
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He knows his daughter might try it, and Clark is the reason why.
“I follow her Instagram, Twitter. I’ve watched all the games. I’m watching what she’s doing and taking notes,” Sydney said. “‘From the logo,’ that says it. Watching her do that, in the travel season I’ve started doing it a lot more. Seeing that, hey, she’s pulling (the trigger), I know I can pull it. It does give me confidence.”
Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What is Caitlin Clark's impact on TSSAA girls basketball
