Caitlin Clark declares for the 2024 WNBA draft, will leave Iowa at end of season

Iowa’s final home game of the season against Ohio State on Sunday will be Caitlin Clark’s last time playing in front of the home crowd.

The NCAA women’s all-time leading scorer announced this will be her final season of college basketball, as she is declaring for the 2024 WNBA draft. Clark had one season of eligibility remaining thanks to NCAA athletes getting an extra year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Clark is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft, which is owned by the Indiana Fever.

“While this season is far from over and we have a lot more goals to achieve, it will be my last one at Iowa,” Clark wrote on social media. “I am excited to be entering the 2024 WNBA Draft.”

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One of the biggest stars in college basketball, Clark has asserted herself as one of the greatest scorers in the game’s history while taking the sport by storm. Arenas have been sold out everywhere and ticket prices have reached levels not seen before just to see her play this season.

She passed Kelsey Plum as the NCAA women’s all-time leading scorer earlier this season, and with 3,650 career points, she is just 18 points away from breaking Pete Maravich’s all-time NCAA scoring record, men’s or women’s. This season, Clark has been averaging a Division I-leading 32.2 points and 8.7 assists per game for a scoring offense that is best in the country at 92.7 points per game. She has also already made more 3-pointers in a single season than any other player in NCAA history.

Caitlin Clark reacts to hitting a three-point basket against Minnesota.

“It is impossible to fully express my gratitude to everyone who has supported me during my time at Iowa – my teammates, who made the last four years the best; my coaches, trainers and stuff who always let me be me; Hawkeye fans who filled Carver every night” Clark added. “And everyone who came out to support us across the country, especially the young kids.

“Most importantly, none of this would have been possible without my family and friends who have been by my side through it all. Because of all of you, my dreams came true.”

Clark will play her final home game on Sunday against the No. 2 Buckeyes. No. 6 Iowa still has the Big Ten and NCAA tournament before Clark departs the Hawkeyes. The game was already the most expensive women’s basketball game in history based on average purchase price for a ticket, according to TickPick data shared with USA TODAY Sports.

Iowa is expected to be a top seed in the tournament this season; it was the No. 7 overall seed − or a No. 2 seed − in the women’s NCAA selection committee’s second top-16 seed reveal on Thursday, which could mean two more games at Iowa’s home arena. Clark led Iowa to the national championship game last season, which resulted in a loss to LSU.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Caitlin Clark declares for the 2024 WNBA draft, will leave Iowa at end of season