"Wonderful homecoming for her": Iowa athletic director explains Caitlin Clark's jersey retirement decision just a year after her graduation

Sunday's game marks an important moment in the Iowa Hawkeyes history as Caitlin Clark's No. 22 jersey will join the rafters at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena when they host the USC Trojans. The Indiana Fever guard enjoyed one of the most historic runs in college as she led Iowa to three conference championship wins and two straight NCAA championship games.

Caitlin Clark was picked No. 1 in the 2024 WNBA draft, and just a year later, her jersey is being retired. This is not a common phenomenon, and Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz explained the reason behind this move.

“It’s nice to be able to celebrate somebody in the moment — as close to that moment as you can because you don’t always have that opportunity,” Goetz said (via NBC Sports).

“So, we’re doing it quickly here, but it’s also a wonderful homecoming for her and an opportunity for our fan base to get a chance to celebrate her again.”

Caitlin Clark shares her thoughts on the jersey retirement

Through her four-year journey with the Hawkeyes, Caitlin Clark set multiple individual records, including the NCAA all-time scoring leader record with 3951 career points. She is a two-time Naismith College Player of the Year, USBWA National Player of the Year and AP Player of the Year awardee.

Clark commented on the special honor from her former school in an interview with 247Sports' David Eickholt.

"I think it's hard to probably feel all the emotions until I'm going to be inside of Carver and really see it, and experience that with my family," Clark said. "Now that I'm not actually going to be playing, I feel like I'll be more emotional even though I'm not a super emotional person.

"Honestly, I'm very grateful and thankful to have played at a place that loves women's basketball the way that it does. Just really helped me flourish. It will be really special."

Caitlin Clark will join Megan Gustafson (No. 10) and Michelle Edwards (No. 30) as the third women's basketball player to have their jersey retired. Clark's commitment to Iowa was at the last minute, as she had named UConn as her dream school, while Notre Dame was the choice of her family.

Commenting on the recruitment journey, Iowa coach Jan Jensen said:

"It was the ride of a lifetime. We worked like crazy to recruit her, and we got to be the last one standing. I will forever believe that it was the perfect match — the perfect staff and kid in a state that loves its female sports.

"If you know Michael Jordan, you know he went to Carolina. He’s still Carolina blue, right? Forever. I feel really fortunate that Caitlin will forever be black and gold. She’ll always be part of our story here.”

The Iowa Hawkeyes-USC Trojans game is scheduled to tip off at 1:30 p.m. EST, and fans can catch the event live on Fox.