WNBA Draft: Iowa star Caitlin Clark selected first overall by Indiana Fever

What has been expected for months has now been officially announced. Caitlin Clark is headed to the Indiana Fever.

The Fever officially selected Clark with the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft on Monday night in New York. The two-time National Player of the Year became the first Iowa Hawkeyes player, male or female, to be selected with the first pick in the draft.

Clark has long been expected to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, and it's easy to see why. Clark set numerous records last season while leading the Hawkeyes to their second consecutive national championship game, but the Hawkeyes lost to Dawn Staley and South Carolina earlier this month. Clark became the all-time leading scorer for men's and women's college basketball, passing Chamick Holsclaw as the NCAA Tournament all-time scoring record, and became the all-time leading scorer for men and women in a single season for most 3-pointers, to name a few. That's more than a Division 1 player. . Although she didn't win a championship, the Hawkeyes won three straight Big Ten Tournament titles with her, and she was arguably one of the greatest college players of all time.

Clark finished his collegiate career averaging 31.6 points and 8.9 assists per game, both tops in the nation.

Perhaps most notable, Clark completely changed women's basketball as a whole. She helped bring more attention to the sport than anyone before her, and the Hawkeyes ended the season with her third consecutive ratings record. They lost to the Shamcocks in the national championship, drawing a record 18.7 million viewers. With a peak audience of 24 million viewers, the game was the most-watched basketball game at any level since 2019. It also drew nearly 4 million more viewers than the men's national championship game between UW and Purdue.

Naturally, the WNBA and Fever have been very prepared for her arrival. Thirty-six of the Fever's 40 regular-season games will be broadcast on national television this summer, and each team has been promoting the game against Clark for quite some time.

Clark will now turn his attention to the WNBA and be tasked with helping the Fever rebuild their organization. The Fever haven't had a winning record since 2015 and haven't made the playoffs since 2016. Since their last postseason berth, the Fever has only had double-digit wins in a season twice, including last year's 13-27 campaign. Although she won't be as dominant in the pros as she was in college, Clark will soon be teaming up with former South Carolina star Aliyah Boston. It's definitely going to be a very fun duo to watch.

Regardless of what happens on the court, Clark is already one of the most popular players in the entire WNBA, but he has yet to play a game.

WNBA Draft: 1st round pick

Let's take a look at how the rest of the round went after the Fever selected Clark.

1. Indiana Fever | Caitlin Clark, Iowa

2. Los Angeles Sparks | Cameron Brink, Stanford

3. Chicago Sky | Camila Cardoso, South Carolina

4. Los Angeles Sparks | Recare Jackson, Tennessee

5. Dallas Wings | Jaycee Sheldon, Ohio State

6. Washington Mystics | Aaliyah Edwards, University of California

7. Chicago Sky | Angel Reese, LSU

8. Minnesota Lynx | Alyssa Pirri, Utah

9. Dallas Wings | Carla Leite, France

10. The Connecticut Sun | Leila Raquin, France

11. New York Liberty | Marquesha Davis, Ole Miss

12. Atlanta Dream | Nyadiu Puoch, Australia

Iowa's Kate Martin drafted as ace in second round

Clark wasn't the only Hawkeyes player selected in Monday night's draft.

Teammate Kate Martin was selected by the Las Vegas Aces with the 18th overall pick, leading to much celebration at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Martin was in the crowd cheering for Clark, along with other Hawkeyes players and coach Lisa Bruder, and ran down the floor when his name was called.

“I came here to support Kaitlyn, but I was expecting to hear my name called,” Martin said on ESPN. “All I wanted was a chance and I got it, so I’m really excited.”

This will be the first time since 1998 that the Hawkeyes have selected two players in the same WNBA draft.

Martin was a major contributor to the Hawkeyes' success, primarily centered around Clark. She redshirted her first season because she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, but she has been an important piece of the lineup ever since. Martin averaged a career-high 13.1 points and 6.8 rebounds last season, coming just shy of reaching 1,300 career points at the University of Iowa.

Although she is almost certain to land a coaching job someday, Martin's playing career is far from over.