“I may still be coaching”: Ex-HC Muffet McGraw reveals how Caitlin Clark almost joined Notre Dame

Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish coach Muffet McGraw has been out of the college scene for almost five years. The 69-year-old stepped down in April 2020 from the two-time national title-winning program after 33 years at the helm. In her tenure, she oversaw an impressive 936-293 overall win-loss record.

On Tuesday's "Good Game with Sarah Spain," McGraw revealed how Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark was close to joining her program instead of the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Pottsville, Pennsylvania native shared that if Clark had pushed through, she could still be coaching college basketball today:

"I may still be coaching if Caitlin Clark came to Notre Dame... She committed to us, but I had feeling it was kind of a soft commitment when she did because she couldn't decide. And then finally, she said, 'I want to come.' But, it wasn't like, 'I'm coming.' It was kind of like, 'I made the decision,'" McGraw shared. (0:10)

"So, after that, we waited for her to announce it because we're not allowed to announce anything, the players have to do that themselves. So, she made the announcement a long time after that. I kept saying, 'When is it coming out?' Then, when she made the announcement she was going to Iowa."

The four-time AP Coach of the Year did re-affirm that Clark told her about the re-commitment in a classy manner. With Clark's commitment in 2020, the Hawkeyes became rock solid.

Meanwhile, McGraw felt that it was time for her to step down and pave the way for Niele Ivey, a former Fighting Irish player herself, to be promoted from her assistant coaching position.

Clark became a college sensation, leading Iowa to the 2023 NCAA national championship game, and is the Division 1 all-time scoring leader. Although she never suited up for Notre Dame, the Irish faithful are enjoying their current team's success with spitfire guards Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles spearheading the charge.

Muffet McGraw enjoyed recruiting Caitlin Clark even though she went to Iowa

During the interview, Muffet McGraw detailed what it was like to be one of the frontrunners to recruit Caitlin Clark out of high school. She shared how much of a fun experience it was despite her ultimately not choosing Notre Dame.

"I remember it well, loved recruting her. Terrific person, loved her game, her parents, great family, everything was good. When I went to recruiting at Dowling Catholic, they waited on me. They brought me popcorn, drinks, (and) gave me special seating. It was amazing.

"Everybody in the place wanted her to go to Notre Dame, and it was fun recruiting her," McGraw said. (0:16)

Although college basketball fans never saw Caitlin Clark under the tutelage of Muffet McGraw, the former Notre Dame tactician's legacy shouldn't be overlooked. Winning the 2001 and 2018 NCAA national titles, McGraw also produced some of the WNBA's finest such as Arike Ogunbowale and Kayla McBride.