College basketball sensation Caitlin Clark of the University of Iowa credits God for keeping her grounded despite playing in a national spotlight.
Clark broke the all-time women’s scoring record in February with a 49-point performance against Michigan, and then in March, passed men’s legendary player “Pistol Pete” Maravich with 35 points against Ohio State to become the career scoring leader in all of college basketball. She had scored 3,771 points in her career entering the NCAA tournament.
Clark attended Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, and her family attends St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in West Des Moines.
“We get to live our faith every day,” Clark said in a 2018 interview while in high school. “Dowling starts every day with prayer and ends every day with prayer. This is a big reason why Dowling has such a special culture and is such a special place,” she said of her school at the time.
People saw her dedication and talent early on.
“She knows that she has some talents that other people weren’t necessarily born with, and she’s just looking to maximize them, not just for herself but for her teammates and on an even bigger scope for the fans,” Kristin Meyer, her high school coach, said. “It’s not just about scoring a lot of points or winning; she loves playing in front of a sold-out arena, because she gets to entertain people and bring a smile to their face. For two hours she lets them have this great experience, and she takes that pretty seriously and knows that those gifts from God are an opportunity to bring joy to other people.”
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Next season, Clark will be playing in the WNBA, most likely for the Indiana Fever, which has the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Father Joseph Pins, pastor of the family’s church, said Clark “does a great job just living out the faith. We’re proud of our alumna who has done such a great, great, great, thing in life. It’s always good as we form children to watch this go through and see success not just on the basketball court but also in her faith life.”
Clark, while in high school, said the religious aspects of Dowling Catholic were a big reason she enjoyed playing here. “We get to live our faith every day,” she said. “Dowling starts every day with prayer and ends every day with prayer. This is a big reason why Dowling has such a special culture and is such a special place to go to school.”
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice