It didn’t take Caitlin Clark long to notice a difference in physicality between WNBA players and her previous college opponents.
Aggressive play toward the No. 1 overall pick became a focal point early in the season after the Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter hip checked her to the ground during a controversial play on June 1. But that wasn’t an isolated incident. In fact, it seemed like every opposing team was eager to welcome the Indiana Fever rookie to the league in the most inhospitable way possible.
Several folks in the media and the basketball world claimed the No. 1 overall pick was being unfairly “targeted” by the rest of the league. Whether that’s true or not, it’s no secret that the pros are just a different animal than college ball.
So while some of her colleagues were in Paris bringing home the gold medal for Team USA, Clark was in the weight room pumping iron.
“I’m small, but I try to hold my own the best I can,” Clark told reporters after Indiana’s win over the Phoenix Mercury on Friday. “I don’t know, I think I’m discreetly strong. I’m never gonna be the strongest person. I know that. I try to put on some weight, and I’ve been working hard in the weight room.
“Obviously, there’s some limits to that and what I can do, obviously being in the season, but over the course of the last three weeks or so we’ve all been going pretty hard in the weight room.”
Clark had 29 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in Friday’s win over Diana Taurasi and the Mercury. She leads the WNBA in assists per game with 8.3 and has eight double-doubles in her last 13 games. And last month, the 22-year-old became the first rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double.
Now, imagine how unstoppable she’ll be once she bulks up.
“I think it’s definitely gonna help me down the stretch to have that extra little muscle,” Clark said Friday. “It’s definitely something I’ll continue to focus on, but more than anything I never want to lose my speed. I like being fast and sprinting.”
Clark and the Fever — who have had a strong turnaround after a slow start to the season — return to action Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET against the Seattle Storm.
