Women's BIG10 Basketball

Indiana Fever superstar guard Caitlin Clark is providing $22,000 grants through her foundation to University of Iowa Children's Hospital, Coralville Community Food Pantry, Boys and Girls Club of the Corridor and Special Olympics Iowa-East Central.

The four grants are being provided in advance of Iowa retiring her No. 22 jersey on Sunday, when the team hosts USC.

"One of my favorite things about Iowa City is the way the community is connected and how everyone supports each other," Clark said in a press release.

"It is something I felt during my time here and is important to me that I stay connected with. I am proud to be a part of each of these organizations' efforts and the meaningful impact they provide for the people of Iowa."

Per the release, Clark has "previously engaged with the four organizations, whether providing product donations, participating in events and fundraising efforts, or visiting the Children's Hospital, one of her favorite activities as a student-athlete."

The Caitlin Clark Foundation's mission is to "uplift and improve the lives of youth and their communities through education, nutrition, and sports—three pillars Caitlin believes were foundational in her success."

Clark dominated at Iowa during her four years at school and led the Hawkeyes to back-to-back national championship game appearances. She was named the consensus player of the year for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons and notably left the school as college basketball's all-time scoring leader (women or men).

Clark now stars for the Fever, who went to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 with her running the point. She won the league's Rookie of the Year honor and made the All-WNBA First Team after averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game.

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.

Expect to see USC star JuJu Watkins spending a lot more time with Jake from State Farm.

The sophomore guard signed an NIL deal with State Farm, becoming just the second college athlete to get an endorsement deal from the company. Caitlin Clark was the first when she signed while playing at Iowa.

The Kansas City Chiefs' Patriots Mahomes and Travis Kelce and 12-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul are among the notable pro athletes aligned with the insurance giant.

"It's an honor to partner with State Farm," Watkins said, per CNBC's Jessica Golden. "Not only are they one of the biggest brands in sports, they've also been investing in basketball and in the women's game for decades."

One of the top recruits in the 2024 class, Watkins made a massive impact as a freshman at USC. She was the nation's second-leading scorer (27.1 points) behind Clark, setting a program record with a 51-point outing in an upset of Stanford.

With the 6'2" playmaker at the fore, the Trojans advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1994.

USC is off to a 4-1 start in 2024-25 with Watkins leading the team in points (22.0), assists (4.8), steals (3.4) and blocks (2.6) so far.

USC star JuJu Watkins added another big endorsement to her growing portfolio.

Gatorade announced Thursday it signed an NIL deal with the sophomore guard. She's the third women's basketball player to strike an agreement with the company, following UConn guard Paige Bueckers and former Iowa guard Caitlin Clark.

"Gatorade has been a part of my life for years, especially after being named the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year in 2023, so I'm excited to officially be a member of the family." Watkins said. "Gatorade partners with the best athletes in the world, so joining this roster is a huge milestone for me as I look towards the future."

This comes days after ESPN's Shams Charania reported Watkins signed an extension with Nike that was "one of the richest shoe endorsement deals in women's basketball."

The 19-year-old arrived at USC to great fanfare. The Los Angeles native was the No. 1 recruit in the country and accepted the challenge of returning the Trojans to prominence. Once dominant in the 1980s, the program steadily fell into mediocrity.

It took one year for Watkins to make her presence felt. In 2023-24, she was the second-leading scorer (27.1 points) in Division I behind Clark and set a school record when she dropped 51 points in an upset of fourth-ranked Stanford.

USC also advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament, its first trip there since 1994.

Now, fans are eager to see what Watkins and the Trojans have for an encore. Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb signed a trio of top-16 recruits, Kennedy Smith, Kayleigh Heckel and Avery Howell, along with Stanford forward Kiki Iriafen and Oregon State guard Talia von Oelhoffen out of the transfer portal.

Watkins had the highest usage rate (42.8 percent) in the country as a true freshman, per Her Hoop Stats. With a stronger supporting cast around her now, she shouldn't have to shoulder the same kind of burden.

If that results in a slight dip in her production, it will do little to limit her star power should USC chart a course to the Final Four.

Five-star guard Jazzy Davidson committed to USC on Tuesday, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

Davidson is the No. 3 overall recruit in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2025 class and gives the Trojans their first commit for the cycle.

USC was once the preeminent power in women's basketball, winning national titles in 1983 and 1984 and watching multiple future legends walk through the door, but the program steadily slid into mediocrity.

Thanks to the efforts of dynamic guard JuJu Watkins, fans are now hopeful the "Women of Troy" can return to their heyday. In 2023-24, Watkins was the second-leading scorer (27.1 points) behind Caitlin Clark as a true freshman and helped guide the Trojans to their first Elite Eight appearance since 1994.

Her success has undoubtedly boosted head coach Lindsay Gottlieb's efforts on the recruiting trail. Gottlieb signed three of the top 16 players from espnW's 2024 rankings: wing Kennedy Smith, guard Kayleigh Heckel and guard Avery Howell.

USC also strengthened significantly through the transfer portal, adding former Stanford forward Kiki Iriafen and former Oregon State guard Talia von Oelhoffen.

Thanks to the WNBA's age minimum, women's basketball teams by and large benefit from more continuity than men's teams. Only in rare instances are players eligible for the WNBA draft after three seasons instead of four.

That makes it easier to project how the Trojans roster will look in 2025 when Davidson arrives in Southern California. Watkins will still only be a junior by that point, and one or both of Heckel and Howell may have assumed important roles in the backcourt.

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has built a powerhouse in Columbia. Gottlieb and USC might be closing the gap because the team is shaping up to be a Final Four contender for the next few years.

Iowa forward Ava Jones announced on social media that she is medically retiring from college basketball.

"I would like to start by saying how grateful I am to have been part of the Iowa women's basketball program. It is with great sadness to announce that I am medically retiring from college basketball. My coaches, doctors, teammates and trainers have been amazing since the accident. While I will no longer be a member of the women's basketball program, I will still be on scholarship, receive a world-class education and forever be a Hawkeye.

"I'd like to thank my family for the never-ending support and I am excited for the next chapter of my life."

Per ESPN.com's Michael Voepel, Jones suffered a traumatic brain injury, torn ligaments in both knees and a shoulder injury after an impaired driver swerved off the road and hit her and her parents while they were walking on a Louisville, Kentucky sidewalk in July 2022. The Jones family, who is from Nickerson, Kansas, was in town for an AAU tournament.

Trey Jones, Ava's father, died in the hospital. Amy Jones, Ava's mother, suffered a brain injury and 21 broken bones, per Voepel.

The driver, Michael Hurley, was indicted in Jefferson County Circuit Court and charged with one count of murder, three counts of assault and one count of driving under the influence, per WDRB. He admitted to police on scene after the crash that he had taken hydrocodone, an opioid, beforehand. His trial has been delayed, and his bond has been lowered from $500,000 to $50,000 cash.

Iowa head coach Jan Jensen released a statement following Jones' announcement.

"We wish Ava the best on the road to recovery and fully support the decision she made to step away from the game," Jensen said. "She worked tirelessly to get to this point, but she made the best decision for herself and her well-being."

Per the Iowa athletics website, Jones was ranked No. 84 on ESPN's 2023 HoopGurlz player ranking. She had just averaged 20.8 points and 15.4 rebounds during her junior high school season.

Indiana Fever guard and former Iowa standout Caitlin Clark congratulated Hawkeyes women's basketball head coach Lisa Bluder following her retirement on Monday.

"Simply no one better at building a team… Thank you for believing in me more than anyone," Clark wrote in a post on X. "Enjoy retirement, coach. Very much deserved."

Bluder, who spent 24 years leading the program including two NCAA championship game appearances in the past two seasons, stepped down with assistant coach Jan Jensen named as her successor.

Clark has previously credited Bluder for her versatility as a coach, crafting her game plan around the players on her roster instead of forcing them to adapt to a certain system.

"I think the biggest thing for me throughout the recruiting process that I loved about her is she's a player's coach," Clark said on March 31, per Pat Eaton-Robb of the Associated Press. "She's not going to have a set offense that you have to run. She's going to tailor everything to what she has on her team and what's going to put her team in positions to be very successful."

The 22-year-old thrived under Bluder, becoming one of the most prominent figures in college sports and leading the Hawkeyes on several March Madness runs. Clark averaged 28.4 points per game in her collegiate career, becoming the NCAA's all-time leading scorer on March 3 and earning three consecutive Big Ten Player of the Year awards.

She was selected by the Fever with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft.

As for Bluder, she leaves Iowa with a 528-254 record after she took over as head coach ahead of the 2000-01 season. She earned three Big Ten Coach of the Year awards and was named the 2019 Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year.

Lucy Olsen apparently isn't one to shy away from a challenge.

The 5'9" guard announced Wednesday she's transferring from Villanova to Iowa to join a backcourt that's losing Kate Martin and Division I all-time leading scorer Caitlin Clark.

Olsen is coming off a big junior season. She was third in scoring average (23.3 points) while averaging 4.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game for the Wildcats.

The Pennsylvania native is familiar with having to fill the shoes of a WNBA-bound star. Her big offensive jump in 2023-24 came after Maddy Siegrist, the NCAA's leading scorer the year earlier, graduated and moved on to the pros.

Olsen did sacrifice some efficiency while assuming a much larger role in the Villanova offense. She shot just 29.4 percent from beyond the arc and turned the ball over 2.8 times per game.

But Hawkeyes head coach Lisa Bluder probably won't be leaning on Olsen to maintain the 35.9 percent usage rate she had this year, per Her Hoop Stats.

As much production as Iowa has going out the door, Clark's departure could allow sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke to shine. Stuelke averaged 14.0 points and 6.6 rebounds in her 35 appearances.

Junior guard Sydney Affolter had double figures in four of the Hawkeyes' six NCAA tournament games, and she'll be helping the fill the void left by Clark and Martin.

More than anything, signing Olsen out of the portal marks a strong contrast to last offseason, when Iowa didn't sign anybody. Bluder and her staff may not be doing targeting immediate improvements to the roster.

Ahead of its draft on April 15, the WNBA has released the full list of prospects invited to attend in person.

Unsurprisingly, Iowa star Caitlin Clark and LSU star Angel Reese headline the list of the 15 players invited.

Clark is projected to go first overall to the Indiana Fever after her historic college career, and she is already having an impact on the league before being drafted. Indiana will have 36 of its 40 games featured by the WNBA's national broadcast and streaming partners, which is the most among WNBA teams.

Stanford star Cameron Brink, who averaged 17.4 points and 11.9 rebounds per game last season, is the projected No. 2 pick in ESPN's latest WNBA mock draft. Just behind her is Tennessee forward Rickea Jackson, who put up 20.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game amid a shaky year from the Lady Vols.

Kamilla Cardoso, who led South Carolina to a national championship, is also a projected top-five pick, landing with the Los Angeles Sparks at No. 4 in ESPN's mock draft. Cardoso averaged 14.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in the 2023-24 season.

Reese's numbers dipped her senior year compared to the 2022-23 season as she put up 18.6 points and 13.4 rebounds, but she is still projected to be a top-10 pick, landing with the Minnesota Lynx at No. 8.

With stars like Clark, Reese and Brink beginning their pro careers this year, the WNBA season has a lot in store for fans, and it all begins on Monday with the draft.