Caitlin Clark joining UConn, Notre Dame or South Carolina may not have "played out quite the same" as her Iowa career, says hoops analyst

Robin Lundberg analyzed hypothetical landing places for Caitlin Clark during her college basketball career after the Indiana Fever guard revealed why she chose the Iowa Hawkeyes. Speaking on the "New Heights" podcast, Clark shared that Iowa's proximity to her home forced her to choose it over established programs like Notre Dame, Texas and Oregon.

Lundberg claimed that Clark's approach to choosing her college program speaks about her competitive spirit, confidence, and individuality. He further said that it also affected her rise to stardom because she went to a school with a losing record and elevated its basketball culture.

"There's always going to be a bunch of factors that come into play that lead to the explosive popularity, and maybe one that is undersold a bit is that she did go to a place that she elevated and put on the map," Robin Lundberg said on his YouTube channel (3:40).

Lundberg believes that Caitlin Clark could have won and cultivated a name for herself with programs like UConn Huskies, LSU Tigers, South Carolina Gamecocks and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. However, he doubts whether it could have made Clark as big as she is in the basketball space.

"But I don't know if all of it would have played out quite the same anywhere else because Iowa obviously has these ardent supporters and they've proven that during this time period."

"Not to mention it allowed Clark to burst onto the scene in a way that maybe wouldn't have happened if she was at the more established program. Because when she bursts on the scene, it's more like, 'Who's this girl from Iowa? Who's this?'"

Analyst defends Caitlin Clark after Sportsperson of the Year snub

Time Magazine named Caitlin Clark the 2024 Athlete of the Year on Dec. 10, 2024. However, Sports Illustrated steered away from the WNBA Rookie of the Year, naming Olympic gymnast Simone Biles as its Sportsperson of the Year.

The announcement prompted analyst Jason Whitlock to take his frustration on X, comparing the relatability of the two athletes in 2024.

"This is a joke. She was relevant for 2 weeks this summer. Caitlin Clark and Shohei Ohtani were relevant for months.," he tweeted.

Despite early struggles, Caitlin Clark enjoyed one-of-a-kind rookie season with the Indiana Fever. She set the league record with assists (337), the highest assists in a single game with 19, and in the All-Str game (10) alongside plenty of others.

Meanwhile, Simone Biles represented the USA in the Olympics this year, winning gold medals (3) in every competition she participated in.