Iowa's Caitlin Clark Is 'One of the Best Guards We've Ever Seen,' WNBA Exec Says

Iowa star Caitlin Clark is becoming one of the most highly regarded potential members of the 2024 WNBA draft class.

A WNBA executive thinks Clark is "one of the best guards we've ever seen," according to an anonymous survey of four WNBA general managers, an assistant general manager and a front-office executive completed by The Athletic.

"Some of the games that Clark's had this year indicate to us that she's one of the best guards we've ever seen," said the WNBA executive. "I do know what I'd like to see from Caitlin: I'd like to see her come out next year. I don't want her to stay in college another year. I want her to say, 'Hey, I'm tired of college. I'm going to go to the pros.'"

Clark, who turns 22 next January, will be eligible for the 2024 draft. The 6'0" guard set the all-time NCAA tournament scoring record for men and women with 191 points as she led the Hawkeyes to the 2023 championship game with one of the most dominant postseasons in NCAA basketball history.

The star guard racked up 30 points, 17 assists and 10 rebounds on March 5 to lead Iowa to a 105-72 win over Ohio State, and their second straight conference title, with the first triple-double completed in a Big Ten championship game.

On March 26, she led the Hawkeyes past Louisville in the Elite Eight round with 41 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists, marking the first 40-point triple-double recorded by a man or woman during an NCAA tournament.

Five days later, Clark racked up another 41 points in the Final Four to deal undefeated South Carolina their first loss of the season with the highest-scoring national semifinal performance in tournament history.

In nine postseason contests across the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, Clark averaged 30.8 points per game.

This performance earned praise from everyone from Sabrina Ionescu to LeBron James and from Billie Jean King to John Cena, in addition to college coaches and professional executives.

Now the question is: Will Clark decide to enter the WNBA draft in 2024?

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Clark has an extra year of eligibility and could decide to play a fifth season with the Hawkeyes in 2024-25. Clark told The Daily Iowan's Chloe Peterson on March 5 that she plans to make that decision ahead of the 2023-24 season start this fall.

Until then, WNBA executives with a shot at the 2024 top pick will be holding their breath.