"Book it right now": $3.1M NIL-valued Caitlin Clark once had a unique request on Hawkeyes' preseason Italy trip

Caitlin Clark is known for being a superstar for the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team. However, a story by ESPN's Wright Thompson that was published Wednesday showed a different side of her, one of immense generosity.

After the Hawkeyes reached the Final Four in 2023, the coaches arranged the team's summer trip to Italy and Croatia, according to the ESPN story.

On the last day of the trip, the team asked head manager Will McIntire for a yacht. After going through some options, he found through the hotel's concierge, he referred to Clark about the price of the one that looked perfect.

"Book it right now," she said.

And that's what they did. The Hawkeyes were excited to see the stocked bar and an eager yacht crew. The players were taken around the coast of Dubrovnik, where they snorkeled and floated in the water, looking up at the sky.

"It was just what we needed," McIntire said.

Iowa Hawkeyes' difficult path in the 2024 NCAA Tournament

ESPN analyst Elle Duncan gave her take on Iowa's road to the national championship. She said that second-ranked Iowa (29-4), the top seed in the Regional 2 in Albany, and Caitlin Clark have one of the toughest paths in the tournament.

Iowa's region includes No. 2 seed UCLA (25-6, ranked sixth), No. 3 seed LSU (28-5, ranked eighth), No. 4 seed Kansas State (25-7, ranked 15th), No. 5 seed Colorado (22-9, ranked 17th) and No. 9 seed Princeton (25-4).

"Iowa has the toughest pad, I gotta tell you," Duncan said. "They showed Iowa no love, you guys. When you look at their bracket, Iowa will potentially have to face Colorado, who are some absolute dogs; and at one point of the season, they were ranked third."

Angel Reese's LSU is the defending national champion, earning that title by topping Iowa in the title game last season. UCLA and Colorado, both from the Pac-12, are experienced at facing an electric talent, USC's JuJu Watkins; and CU took down LSU in the season opener. Kansas State split a pair of games with the Hawkeyes this season. And Princeton is the Ivy League champion.

How far do you think the Hawkeyes will go in the 2024 NCAA Tournament? Let us know in the comments.