Caitlin Clark talks expectations at Indiana Fever introduction: 'You can't script it any better'

Excitement for Caitlin Clark’s WNBA arrival continues to reach a fever pitch.

The Indiana Fever on Wednesday rolled out an actual red carpet for the newly minted No. 1 overall draft pick and introduced her at a packed press conference at Indianapolis’ Gainbridge Coliseum.

Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and head coach Rick Carlisle were among those who greeted Clark at her new home arena, where she previewed a bright future for the Fever and the WNBA.

“I expect big [crowd] numbers this summer,” Clark said, reacting to a WNBA draft watch party in Indy that 6,000 people attended.

“People couldn’t be more excited about where this organization is going, the people that are on this roster and the potential, but also just women’s basketball in general. People know it’s special. People know this draft class was special, the talent level across the board. I think it’s just going to continue to elevate the league.”

Clark, 22, arrives after a historic four-year career at Iowa, where she set the NCAA’s all-time scoring mark, led her Hawkeyes to back-to-back appearances in the national championship game, and repeatedly set viewership records along the way.

She joins a Fever franchise located about five hours from Iowa’s campus in Iowa City, and about seven hours from her hometown of West Des Moines.

“I was hoping that Indiana got the first pick,” Clark said. “When I saw that, I was pretty excited. Obviously, that’s not every single reason of why I wanted to leave and be done with college. I was just ready for a new challenge and something new in my life. Felt like I kind of had done everything at Iowa that I possibly could, and we did a lot of amazing things, but to be able to come here and stay in the Midwest … you can’t script it any better.”

Clark could have returned for a fifth year at Iowa due to the NCAA’s COVID-19 waiver for the 2020-21 season, but she decided to go pro instead, ending on a high note after leading the country with 31.6 points and 8.9 assists per game as a senior.

Her selection atop Monday’s draft in Brooklyn headlined a much-hyped event in which Los Angeles drafted Stanford’s Cameron Brink at No. 2 and Chicago added stars with championship pedigree in South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso at No. 3 and LSU’s Angel Reese at No. 7.

Clark, a 6-foot guard with seemingly limitless range, now teams up in Indiana with 6-5 forward Aliyah Boston, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft and the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year.

“It’s not all about me,” Clark said. “It’s not everything I have to do, and when I’ve been able to understand that, that’s allowed me to play my best. I think it’s just using your resources, asking questions, knowing everything’s not going to be perfect, and giving myself a little grace. I’m definitely a perfectionist, but I’m at my best when I allow myself to have a little grace and not expect everything to go exactly as it should.”