Iowa's Caitlin Clark returns to Target Center ready to dazzle once more

On the eve of Big Ten media day in Minneapolis, Iowa star Caitlin Clark embraced her celebrity status while running into some fans at Murray's Steakhouse.

Being one of the most popular college basketball players ever means never going unnoticed in public.

This particular group was in town Sunday to see the Kansas City Chiefs play the Vikings but were so ecstatic to run into Clark that she might as well have been Patrick Mahomes. They had come from Cedar Rapids.

"They were just so excited," Clark said at media day on Monday at Target Center. "They loved watching our team and now they're going to continue to be fans of you and women's basketball."

Clark has taken over the attention in her sport like no other athlete has in recent memory.

After leading Iowa to the Big Ten tournament title in front of record-setting crowds in Minneapolis, the All-America guard led the Hawkeyes to the Final Four and an NCAA runner-up finish last season.

Iowa's NCAA tournament run (including Clark's back-to-back 41-point performances) drew a larger TV audience than top college football games, including 9.9 million viewers in Iowa's title game vs. LSU.

The spectacular 6-foot junior returned to college with even more eyes on what she'll do next.

"It's definitely hard to wrap my head around it," Clark said. "What we were able to do for women's basketball got people talking about the game. … All of our lives changed from that run."

Next Saturday, the Hawkeye women will play for the first time outdoors at their football stadium in the "Crossover at Kinnick" exhibition game vs. DePaul, which sold 40,000 tickets for charity.

Not long after last season, Iowa announced season tickets for the entire 2023-24 season were sold out. Iowa coach Lisa Bluder describes that as, "incredible. It's beyond our wildest dreams."

Bluder first saw Clark playing for All Iowa Attack's high school AAU team as a relatively unknown seventh-grader from Des Moines. But now she worries that so much stardom for the Hawkeyes leader can be draining for Clark to always have to "be on" with her nonstop energetic personality and exciting play.

"She wants to be that role model to every young girl," Bluder said. "But it can zap a lot of your energy out having to be that person all of the time. It's sad that as a junior you can't just go to the mall with your friends."

Bluder said Clark has done well figuring out most of her off-the-court business responsibilities already, so she can focus on the season. "She's racked up more frequent flyer miles than most human beings over the summer," she joked.

Clark has security escorts to go to Iowa's football games because she's stopped so often by fans. She also manages her NIL deals, which are reported close to a million dollars.

When it comes to basketball, the Hawkeyes return the sport's biggest star but lose Minnesota native and All-Big Ten post Monika Czinano. The Hawkeyes are the Big Ten's preseason favorites. They won't be the same team, but expectations will be out of this world again, with Clark's seemingly larger than life talent on the court.

Clark hasn't made up her mind yet on leaving early for the WNBA after this season. She loves that her Iowa team still treats her the same and not like the celebrity she is. But her dream was always to play at the highest level.

"I'm picked on the most on the team by far," Clark said. "I grew up cheering for the Minnesota Lynx, who played in this building. I wanted to be on this stage."

Clark takes center stage wherever she goes these days. And the crowds are only getting bigger.