Iowa coach Lisa Bluder and former Hawkeye Caitlin Clark

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder and former Hawkeye Caitlin Clark

WNBA rookies, Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky’s Kamilla Cardoso, are the main protagonists in an ESPN docuseries titled “Full Court Press,” alongside UCLA Bruins star Kiki Rice. Produced by former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, the series will premiere this weekend on ESPN+.

The docuseries will have in-depth interviews not available on any other platform and behind-the-scenes footage of the three protagonists throughout a record-breaking 2023-24 season for women’s basketball.

On the red carpet of the premiere of the docuseries at Tobias Theater on Monday at Newfields in Indianapolis, Clark’s former coach, Iowa Hawkeyes’ Lisa Bluder, revealed why she couldn’t wait for fans to watch the series.

“You understand the people behind the basketball player. You know and how much they have going on in their lives outside of basketball and what they’re trying to manage and just what great people they are,” Bluder said.

Speaking to reporters on the series’ premiere, Caitlin Clark revealed the reason why she agreed to be part of the documentary during her record-breaking final college basketball season.

“One of the main reasons I wanted to participate and do this is because I knew going into this, whether it was going to be my last year or not in college, I hadn’t decided, but being able to capture all this,” Clark said. “It was a special time and getting to enjoy that not only for myself, but for the other two and their teams, and my team and my coaches.”

Caitlin Clark gets high praise from NFL legend

Caitlin Clark has been garnering praise from different renowned athletes in different sports, and the latest to take an interest in her was the Indianapolis Colts and NFL legend Peyton Manning.

Manning, whose Omaha Productions outfit co-produced the “Full Court Press” docuseries, was confident that Caitlin Clark would love living and playing in Indiana, where he’s a legend for the Colts.

He expressed his views on the red carpet at the premiere of the docuseries, where he also acknowledged that he enjoyed working with Clark during the production of the series.

“She’s going to love Indianapolis,” Manning said. “I gave her all my contacts at the airport, St. Elmo’s, some behind-the-ropes things here in Indianapolis. It’s a great place for her to play. I’m looking forward to watching her.

“It’s awesome. Like I said, getting to know Caitlin even more throughout this series; she was a guest on our (“Monday Night Football”) show. She’s a Chiefs fan, (but) I forgive her for that. But she said she did grow up watching me play.”

The hype around Caitlin Clark isn’t dying away anytime soon, and her WNBA debut on May 14 against the Connecticut Sun will be aired on Disney+, the first live event on the platform.