Caitlin Clark has revealed that she had a near-death experience during a trip to Italy last year with her Iowa Hawkeyes teammates. The entire Iowa roster and coaching staff prepared for the 2023-24 season by going to Italy and Croatia, developing their chemistry and facing three teams in exhibition games.
During an appearance on the “Fresh Tawk” podcast with current Hawkeyes star Jada Gyamfi, Clark reunited with her college teammates, Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin. The Indiana Fever star recounted their 2023 trip to Italy, sharing the terrifying story of how they nearly drowned while cave diving.
“We literally could’ve died,” Clark said on the episode released Tuesday. “We literally could because, remember there was a rock and you couldn’t go like, you only had to dive under the rock. If you didn’t get under, you were dead. … I had to swim back, too. I’m like, ‘Bro, I can’t keep doing this. This is a workout.” [13:18 – 13:43]
Caitlin Clark led Iowa to three wins during their tour of Italy and Croatia, beating Team Slammers, KK Tresnjevka 2009 and the Croatian All-Stars. It helped the Hawkeyes prepare for the 2023-24 season, wherein they finished runners-up again for the NCAA championship.
In addition, Iowa also took home the Big Ten Conference Tournament championship. They outlasted the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the final 94-89, beating them in overtime.
Caitlin Clark present at Stephanie White’s introductory press conference
The Indiana Fever found a new head coach this offseason, hiring Stephanie White to replace Christie Sides. White returns to Indiana after eight seasons, previously coaching the Fever from 2015 to 2016. She led the team to the WNBA Finals in her year before leaving after her second season.
White coached in college before returning to the WNBA in 2022 with the Connecticut Sun. She departed from the Sun late last month and was immediately signed by the Fever to take over a roster that has Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston.
It was a homecoming for White, who was born and raised in West Lebanon, Indiana. She played for the Fever from 2000 to 2004 and was an assistant coach from 2011 to 2014. She told reporters in her introductory press conference on Monday that her goal is to bring a championship back to Indiana, with Clark, Boston and several players in attendance.
“I am so incredibly honored, so humbled, so thankful, grateful and excited to lead this franchise and taking it to another level,” White said. “You’ve got incredibly talented players right here in Caitlin and Aliyah and Lexie (Hull). … The future is so bright, and our ultimate goal is to hang another banner in the (Gainbridge) Fieldhouse. And our ultimate goal is to come back in here after we win that championship and celebrate again like we did in 2012.” [6:46 – 7:28]
The Fever not only got their coach, but they also have a good core led by Clark and Boston. They just need to bring back Kelsey Mitchell and possibly add one more key player in free agency this offseason.
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