Iowa Announces Date It Will Retire Caitlin Clark's Jersey This Season
12/18/2024 11:17 AM
It was always a matter of when, not if, Iowa would retire Caitlin Clark's number, as the program said it would following the end of Clark's college career.
Now, we have an official date for the raising of Clark's No. 22 jersey to the rafters at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa women's basketball announced Wednesday morning that it will retire Clark's number on Feb. 2, when the Hawkeyes host USC in a "Black Out" game that will be televised nationally on FOX.
"To the rafters. 2.2.25 @CaitlinClark22 x #Hawkeyes," the Iowa tweet reads.
At first glance, picking that day to honor Clark feels appropriate for several reasons. First of all, the date (2/2) matches up with Clark's jersey number. Secondly, the game is going to be on national television, and lastly, in an added bonus, Iowa is facing USC and star guard JuJu Watkins, who is drawing Clark comparisons in her sophomore season.
In a recent video for Fox Sports, Watkins praised Clark as "a great player" and "a good person as well."
Clark broke countless records during her four-year career at Iowa and led the Hawkeyes to back-to-back national championship game appearances. This season, she's been spotted at multiple games as a fan, continuing to support her former program.
"There will never be another @CaitlinClark22 & there will never be another 2️⃣2️⃣. The #Hawkeyes will retire Clark's No. 22," Iowa women's hoops said back in April.
After leaving Iowa, Clark was the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft and won the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award with the Indiana Fever. Most recently, she was named TIME Magazine's Athlete of the Year.
"Personally, I'm just scratching the surface of what I can do and hopefully how I can change the world and impact people," Clark said. "There's also been so many people that are not involved in women's sports, that are just in the workforce, or whatever they do, and they're just like, 'Thank you for what you do for women.' I've heard that a million times."
Feb. 2 will give Iowa fans one more time to thank Clark for all she did for the program.
Related: Iowa Announces Decision On Caitlin Clark's No. 22 Jersey
