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Video: Caitlin Clark's Iowa Jersey Retirement Date Unveiled Ahead of Ceremony

Joseph Zucker

The Iowa Hawkeyes aren't waiting long to hang Caitlin Clark's No. 22 jersey in the rafters of Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The school announced Wednesday it will retire her jersey when it hosts USC on Feb. 2.

Clark spent four seasons at Iowa and left as the greatest player in program history.

"I'm forever proud to be a Hawkeye and Iowa holds a special place in my heart that is bigger than just basketball," she said in the announcement. "It means the world to me to receive this honor and to celebrate it with my family, friends and alumni. It will be a great feeling to look up in the rafters and see my jersey alongside those that I've admired for so long."

The 6'0" guard is the NCAA's all-time leading scorer with 3,951 points. The school celebrated her record by placing a decal onto the court at the spot where she nailed the shot that elevated her past previous record-holder, Washington legend Kelsey Plum.

Clark also helped lift Iowa to heights it hadn't reached before. The fact she didn't win a national title carries some implications within a broader legacy context, but the Hawkeyes hadn't even reached the championship game and one Final Four appearance before she arrived.

C. Vivian Stringer turned Iowa into an NCAA tournament mainstay before leaving for Rutgers in 1995, and the same proved true with Lisa Bluder. But Clark was a transformational figure who shifted how fans and future generations will perceive the Hawkeyes.

She will be the second women's basketball player to have her number retired by Iowa, joining Megan Gustafson and Michelle Edwards.

   

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