It's Caitlin Clark's world, and we're all just living in it.
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Iowa's star guard has been called "Steph Curry in a ponytail." This year's Naismith Women's College Player of the Year has more three-pointers than any other woman in the country. She's scoring a ridiculous 27.3 points per game and just dropped a 41-point triple-double against Louisville in the Elite Eight, becoming the first man or woman to accomplish that in either NCAA Tournament. That game also drew 2.5 million viewers on ESPN on Sunday, which was more than any of ESPN's NBA games so far this season.
As Clark continues to grab the national spotlight, it's only natural to wonder who her role models were growing up. One of them was her brother, Blake Clark, who's currently a quarterback at Iowa State. Talk about owning the state of Iowa.
Caitlin Clark Leans on Her Brother, Who Plays College Football
Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images
Caitlin has two brothers. Her older brother is Blake Clark, who's currently a redshirt senior quarterback for the Iowa State Cyclones. She also has a younger brother, Colin, who plays basketball in high school.
Blake has spent the majority of his career as a special teams player, being the holder for field goals and PATs at Iowa State. That didn't stop him from scoring his first career points last season against Kansas, when a high snap led to him running in a two-point conversion. But in high school at Dowling Catholic, he won the Class 4A state championship as a senior before walking on at Iowa State.
"He was super athletic, but he wasn't the most skilled, the most talented," Caitlin told HawkCentral about her brother. "He just really outworked people and I think that's kind of what I admire about him and what drove me when I was young."
The older brother has served as a role model for Caitlin since they could first shoot basketballs. When they were younger, they would play basketball in the basement, which Blake admits got rough at times. So rough, that one time Caitlin pushed Colin into a wall and he needed stitches.
Caught up with someone who has been there since the start for Caitlin Clark (@CaitlinClark22)... Her brother Blake (@blakeclark21). He says you can probably credit Caitlin's toughness with the games played in their basement that included stitches for @Colin_Clark626 😯😂 pic.twitter.com/RB670j6AUE
— Jon Schaeffer (@JSchaeffCreates) March 25, 2021
Brent Clark and Anne Nizzi-Clark, the three's parents, always knew Caitlin was going to play basketball at the next level. But Brent told HawkCentral it's always been Blake who Caitlin has gone to for advice, both on and off the court.
"His perspective, I think his patience, receptivity to others ideas and his ability to listen are all real positive traits that I think both Caitlin and our youngest son, Colin, probably certainly notice and probably try to model as best they can," Brent said.
Caitlin is as much of a fan of Blake as he is of her, despite the obvious differences in superstardom. When she missed his two-point conversion against Kansas because she was asleep, she said she rewatched the entire game. She also calls him one of her biggest role models.
Caitlin Clark says that she was asleep when her brother Blake Clark had his two point conversion for Iowa State earlier this year. Says she rewatched the whole game and adds that he’s one of her biggest role models
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) October 20, 2022
They may be a two-hour drive from each other and remain busy with college sports, but the two talk almost every day. Then there's the fact that Blake's entire Twitter profile is littered with retweets about his sister. You can bet no one will be rooting harder for Caitlin Clark to win Iowa's first ever national championship than her brother and family.
From basement basketball to the Final Four, Blake has been by Caitlin's side the whole time.
