Iowa Announces Caitlin Clark's Retired Jersey Will Hang From Rafters on Fitting Date
Caitlin Clark is arguably the greatest college basketball player of all time, regardless of gender.
This is proven by her setting the NCAA Division 1 record for most points scored all-time and leading the Iowa Hawkeyes to two consecutive NCAA National Championship games (despite falling short of a championship on both).
This is why it was no surprise to hear Iowa announced that Clark's jersey would be immortalized at Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena just three days after her final game at the school arrived earlier this year.
“There will never be another 22,” the team wrote on social media, making Clark just the third player in Iowa women's basketball history to have her number retired.
However, it had been unknown when that jersey retirement ceremony would officially take place.
Until Wednesday, when Iowa Women's Basketball made an X post that announced Clark's No. 22 jersey would be retired on an extremely fitting date: February 2, 2025.
"To the rafters.
"2.2.25," Iowa's X account wrote in a post on Wednesday that featured a montage of Clark's historic Hawkeyes tenure.
To the rafters.
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) December 18, 2024
2.2.25@CaitlinClark22 x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/Qjq1Y1VfrZ
This 2/2 date is going to be an emotional contest where Iowa legends like Clark, her coach Lisa Bluder, and many of her former teammates will surely be in attendance.
It's also interesting because February 2 is one of the most crucial games in the Hawkeyes' season, as the No. 7 ranked USC Trojans — and USC's sophomore superstar JuJu Watkins, who is often compared to Clark — are coming to town.
Therefore, the eyes of the college basketball world will be on Iowa come February 2.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.