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Soak in this moment of Hawkeye magic

Jan. 21, 2024 5:00 am
Maybe you, like me, have been inundated with pitches promoting “mindfulness.” My smartwatch urges me to exercise mindfulness twice daily. The watch is not mindful of the fact it’s annoying.
There are a lot of definitions as to what mindfulness means. There are also books, programs, and classes to help us become mindful. Be mindful of the commercialization of mindfulness.
One definition I found says mindfulness is “moment-by-moment awareness of thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment.”
So, live in the moment, I guess. I generally don’t go in for this sort of stuff, but I can think of one good reason to embrace mindfulness.
It’s the University of Iowa women’s basketball team.
Grab this moment, be aware, have feelings and soak in the environment. We may never see anything like it again. As a longtime, die-hard Hawkeyes fan, with an outlook tempered by more heartbreak than triumph, it’s hard for me to even fathom this turn of events.
As an observer of the train wreck that is our politics and government, watching this team is the hardwood concoction that helps me hang on.
UI is, generally, a place where coaches turn unsung recruits into unlikely heroes. That’s a fine tradition. Some of our most memorable seasons came as a surprise. With the exception of wrestling, elite teams have been few and far between.
And yet here we are, with an elite basketball team that’s already played for one national title and could climb to the pinnacle again, smothering its opponents with skill and joy. Cranky pessimists such as myself can only ask what is happening? Something unbelievable is the answer.
And this team’s hero is anything but unsung. She’s fully sung. Is that a thing?
Caitlin Clark does things with a basketball that drop jaws, fill arenas, home and away, and ceaselessly astonish us. I’m not a sports writer, and maybe I should just stay in my lane. But this about more than sport. This is Iowa history being made before our eyes.
Just five packed Iowa home games will draw more Iowans than Donald Trump’s caucus vote count. And, to my knowledge, the former president has never hit a buzzer-beater.
This is a team with strong chemistry and deep connections. They seem to genuinely love to play basketball together with wild abandon. Head Coach Lisa Bluder has painted a masterpiece.
Watch a postgame interview with Clark and the word “I” rarely comes up. It’s all about “we,” her team and her teammates. Molly Davis, Kate Martin, Gabbie Marshall, Hannah Stuelke and others, are the engines that make this team fly. Their performance and personalities are filling the shelves at Raygun.
Clark’s commitment to team success is more impressive than a three from the logo.
And one way you know Clark is bombing the right targets is all the flak she gets.
LSU Head Coach Kim Mulkey, who sparks speculation that Darth Vader and Voldemort may have produced offspring, recently threw shade at Clark.
“Nobody’s taking 40 shots a game like you see across the country. We are not that kind of team,” Mulkey said, obviously referring to Clark.
But Mulkey’s claim was shot down faster than one of Clark’s laser passes from half court to a teammate in the paint.
Clark has never taken 40 shots in a game. Her average is 22 shots. Oh, and she leads the nation in scoring and is within striking distance of becoming the all-time leading scorer in women’s college basketball history. As a bonus, she gets to live rent-free in Mulkey’s head.
Maybe Mulkey can relieve some stress by taking a stroll around the court during a game.
Clark’s detractors are, unbelievably, many. They spout hot-take plates of stupidity, wrapped in jealousy, and served with a thick gravy of instant social media idiocy. Some guy who, 30 years ago, might have mumbled on his couch between gulps of beer can now share his mumbles with the world.
She’s a “ball hog,” despite ranking ninth all-time in career assists.
She complains too much to referees about calls. Wow, I hope she didn’t hurt their feel-bads.
She “taunts” opposing players and puts her emotions on full display. God forbid she show a competitive spirit on the court. I guess she should be an emotionless drone. Stop having so much fun.
And does the throng at Carver-Hawkeye need to be so loud? Let’s use our inside voices.
Rarely have so many been so wrong. Clark fills her water bottle with their tears. She gives away the shoes she’s used to trample the haters to little girls wearing her No. 22 jersey.
The point of all this is don’t look away. Don’t miss a game. Don’t be a naysayer. Ride this train to wherever it goes. Yes, even if you must figure out how to subscribe to Peacock. I know, that’s maddening.
No matter how this glorious season ends, remain mindful of the magic of this moment. Go Hawks!
(319) 398-8262; todd.dorman@thegazette.com
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