Women's BIG10 Basketball

Iowa star Caitlin Clark signed a name, image and likeness deal with State Farm, joining Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes and Golden State Warriors star Chris Paul as spokespeople for the insurance company.

"State Farm is a team that looks out for others, which is exactly the kind of legacy I want to leave beyond the basketball court," Clark said. "I'm honored to be the first college athlete to join the Good Neighbor team—in khakis of course and look forward to growing the women's game together."

Few women's basketball players are getting to cash in on the NIL more than the Hawkeyes guard. On3 estimates her NIL valuation to be $752,000, which trails only LSU stars Angel Reese and Flau'jae Johnson.

Clark's profile exploded during the 2022-23 season, when she collected every major National Player of the Year Award and helped guide Iowa to its first-ever national runner-up finish. She averaged 27.8 points and 8.6 assists and shot 38.9 percent from three-point range as a junior.

Fans are eager to see what Clark can deliver in what's potentially her swan song in Iowa City. Despite losing two starters, McKenna Warnock and Monika Czinano, the Hawkeyes figure to once again be a Final Four threat.

Of course, this might not be it for Clark at the college level since she's eligible to return for a fifth season if she so chooses.

"It's really not something I think about every day or let weigh on me," she told reporters. "I'm focused on helping this team be the best they can be. The biggest thing is I'm just going to trust my gut. I'm not going to do a lot of research on what's better. I'm going to trust my gut and go with that."

In the pre-NIL era, it was almost a foregone conclusion that star athletes to jump at the first chance to head to the pros. Now, the situation isn't so straightforward when they can stay in school and get paid at the same time.

Women's sports athletes in particular face a dilemma because they don't have the same kind of future earnings waiting for them as their male peers. Clark would collect a $76,535 salary as a rookie if she were selected within the first four picks of the 2024 WNBA draft.

When she has already lined up numerous endorsement deals, Clark might find she wants to enjoy the ride with Iowa for as long as she can.

Iowa women's basketball commit Ava Jones and her parents were injured when they were hit by a car while walking in Louisville, Kentucky on Tuesday evening, according to Billy Kobin, Brooks Holton and Billy Watson of the Louisville Courier Journal.

The Louisville Metro Police said Jones, her parents Amy and Trey Jones and a child were hit by an impaired driver whose vehicle left the road in downtown Louisville and all were hospitalized.

Ava Jones was described to be in "serious but stable condition," while her parents, Amy and Trey Jones, were in critical condition Wednesday morning. A spokesperson said the child with them was treated for "minor injuries."

The driver, Michael Hurley, was arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree assault along with driving under the influence.

Ava Jones stars for Nickerson High School and AAU team Wheat State Elite, both in Kansas. The 6'2" wing is rated a 4-star recruit and the No. 83 overall player in the 2023 class, according to ESPNW.

After initially committing to Arizona State, Jones reopened the recruiting process and announced her commitment to Iowa on Sunday.

"They've got a winning culture, they've got a big fan base, they've got Iowa City," Jones said of Iowa to Jeff Linder of The Gazette. "They've got everything."

The family was in Louisville for the Run 4 Roses Classic, an AAU girls basketball tournament.

C. Vivian Stringer, who's led the Rutgers women's basketball program since 1995, announced Saturday she's set to retire after 50 years on the sideline.

"This was the hardest decision of my life, but I thank God he has allowed me to do the thing I love most," Stringer said. "I am ready to start my new journey and spending more time with my family, children and grandchildren. I am truly blessed to have had so many wonderful people in my life."

Stringer, 74, started her Hall of Fame career at Cheyney State in 1972 and also made a stop at Iowa from 1983 through 1995. She led her teams to four appearances in the NCAA tournament's Final Four.

Her retirement will become official Sept. 1, but the Scarlet Knights' search for a new head coach will begin immediately.

Stringer compiled a 1,055-426 record (.712 winning percentage) across 50 years as a head coach. The 11-20 record Rutgers posted in 2021-22 marked just her second losing season over the past two decades.

Her long list of accolades is highlighted by the 1993 Naismith College Coach of the Year Award and an Olympic gold medal as an assistant coach for the USA women's team at the 2004 Athens Games.

She guided Iowa to six Big Ten regular-season titles and Rutgers to four Big East titles, three regular season and one postseason. She also led the Scarlet Knights to the 2014 women's NIT championship.

Stringer explained that reflection led her to conclude it's "important to step aside and challenge others to step up and take this game forward."

"To the young ladies that I was fortunate to have coached and mentored into the women and leaders of today, keep pushing the barriers, keep pushing for your spot at the table, and always know who you are," she said.

Rutgers athletic director Pat Hobbs called the longtime coach a "titan in college basketball."

"As the first coach to lead three different programs to the Final Four, she will continue to be mentioned along with the game's other great Hall of Famers," Hobbs said. "Her place in the history of the game is cemented, but more remarkable is the legions of young women whose lives she helped shape."

School president Jonathan Holloway added: "Coach Stringer's impact has been felt across our campuses, around the state and throughout the nation. She is an icon whose accomplishments on and off the court are as remarkable as they are inspiring."

Stringer was inducted in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.