$3.1 million NIL-valued Caitlin Clark recalls exciting childhood memories idolizing stars to become one of them: "Had a million different jerseys"

After a phenomenal record-breaking season for Iowa phenom Caitlin Clark, the interest in March Madness has been amped up, with college hoops fans drawn to the Hawkeyes guard's superstar quality.

The Caitlin Clark effect was stark when the Iowa Hawkeyes traveled to New Jersey to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in January, and her fans dominated the home arena at Jersey Mike's Arena.

In an interview with Sporting News, the $3.1 million NIL-valued Clark (as per On3) remarked on how special she feels when kids and fans don her jersey and come out to support her wherever she might be playing.

"Rutgers was really fun," Clark said. "There were a lot of young kids there. We don't get to go to the East Coast much. I would say that's something that just never gets old.

"You grow up as a kid — I was one of those kids who had a million different jerseys and shirts and idolized those players growing up. To kind of be that person for a lot of young boys and girls — it's really special."

Caitlin Clark mania in effect

The Caitlin Clark effect has been manifested several times in the past few months, with college hoops fans pulling out all stops to watch the Iowa Hawkeyes phenom either live or on television.

Seven of the top 10 most expensive women's basketball ticket prices ever have been Iowa matchups the record-breaking Clark was involved in.

During her final regular season game against the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes, the lowest-priced ticket, according to TickPick, was $454, with front-row seats retailing at $3,583 and tickets averaging $577.

Most recently, games involving Caitlin Clark have garnered increased betting patterns, according to Adam Pullen, assistant director of trading for Ceasars Sports.

"There’s been a tremendous uptick in action this season, and Clark has a major role to play in it," Pullen said. "That first game will be the interesting thing. It’ll probably have the least action of all the games Clark plays in the tournament. The gulf in talent is pretty significant. You might see a 50-point spread."

Recently, when Gatorade partnered with Clark to produce her custom-made merchandise, including a Gx towel and Gx water bottle, fans rushed to the site, which caused the website to crash for several hours.

Before she departs the college basketball shores for the WNBA, Caitlin Clark has become perhaps the most visible icon that the women's college basketball game has ever had.