Indiana Fever expected to snag Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 pick of Monday’s WNBA Draft

IOWA CITY — Her work here is done, well done.

By early evening Monday, Caitlin Clark will — most likely — be the property of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever.

One of the most decorated players in women’s college basketball history, Clark is the presumptive No. 1 pick of the Fever in the WNBA Draft, which begins at 6:30 p.m. (ESPN) at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

“Can she still change her mind?” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said, joking at a news conference last Saturday, the day before the Hawkeyes’ loss to South Carolina in the NCAA championship game.

No turning back now. There’s a new world to conquer for the dynamo from West Des Moines.

Indiana was second-to-last in the WNBA in attendance last season (4,067 per game). But judging by ticket prices, both in Indianapolis and for the Fever’s road games, Clark’s appeal will be league-wide as soon as she hits the ground in Indy.

Thirty-six of the Fever’s 40 games will be televised for the 2024 season, which begins May 14 at Connecticut. The first home game is May 16 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Other WNBA teams also are preparing to capitalize.

The Minnesota Lynx scheduled Maya Moore's number retirement ceremony for the game against the Fever. Moore is one of Clark's childhood idols.

The two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces also changed the venue for their July 2 game against the Fever, to the T-Mobile Arena, the 20,000-seat home of the Vegas Golden Knights.

Clark was a key factor in the explosion of the college women’s game. The Hawkeyes sold out all of their home games last season, and the majority of their road contests, as well.

TV numbers blew up, too, when Clark was playing, from an average of 9.9 million in last year’s NCAA final to 12.3 million (Elite Eight, vs. LSU), to 14.2 million (Final Four, vs. Connecticut), to 18.7 million (championship game, vs. South Carolina.

All were women’s basketball viewership records.

“When I think about women's basketball going forward, obviously it's just going to continue to grow, whether it's at the WNBA level, whether it's at the college level,” Clark said.

“Everybody sees it. Everybody knows. Everybody sees the viewership numbers.”

Clark is the leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history, with 3,951 points, and ranks third all-time in assists, with 1,144.

As you would expect from its No. 1 draft status, Indiana is in rebuild mode. The Fever were 13-27 last season, 10th-best among the league’s 12 teams.

Indiana’s last playoff berth came in 2016.

“If she's with the Fever, playing with somebody like Aliyah Boston, I think they could really have fun together. I think they'll be a great 1-2 punch,” Bluder said.

On the other hand, Bluder added:

“She's going to be really tired after this season. That's what concerns me the most. Rookies go into the WNBA, which is such a challenging time, at their most exhausted time. That's a little bit unfair for them.

“I just know that Caitlin has stepped up to every challenge that we've posed to her. And I expect the same thing at the next level, although I know it's going to be ... she's going to have to pay her rookie dues.”

Clark will become Iowa’s third WNBA top-10 draft pick, joining Toni Foster (No. 8 in 1997) and Samantha Logic (No. 10 in 2015).

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com