CLEVELAND — Their memories are not very clear.
They remember playing in AAU tournaments and practicing with Team USA. They remember winning gold medals and making long 3-point shots. They remember the girl with the brown ponytail who could make shots from anywhere on the court and the blonde who remained composed, even when faced with opponents or a crowd of onlookers.
However, when asked about their first impressions of each other, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers speak in general terms, showing a lot of respect but not providing many details.
Perhaps this is because they spent many years competing against each other in the Midwest and occasionally playing together in international competitions. Maybe it's because those times seem like a distant memory, especially in the most important ways.
The NCAA Tournament that Clark watched while growing up in Iowa and Bueckers observed from the outskirts of Minneapolis is not the same anymore. In the past, the differences between the men's and women's March Madness were significant, affecting facilities, merchandise, TV ratings, and even branding.
But things have changed now.
This is evident as Clark and Iowa consistently attract large crowds wherever they go, and Bueckers is finally healthy after dealing with knee injuries for nearly two years, during which she feared that the exceptional skills that led her to become the first freshman to win the AP Player of the Year award might never return.
Their return is perfectly timed for the two players who have greatly increased interest in the women's tournament to take center stage.
When Clark and the top-seeded Hawkeyes face Bueckers and third-seeded UConn on Friday night in the Final Four, they won't be playing in a small, empty gym with only parents, scouts, and college coaches in attendance.
Instead, they will compete in a packed arena with millions watching on television and millions more following along on social media. This ever-growing audience includes the likes of LeBron James, Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, and aspiring basketball players from all over.
Women's basketball has had stars before, but never quite as many who play like Clark and Bueckers.
While Iowa coach Lisa Bluder emphasized on Thursday that she didn't want the national semifinal to be seen as “Caitlin vs. Paige,” everyone else involved seems to be fine with the matchup because of its significance for not only their teams but also the women's game in general.
“We live in a society that values celebrities and stars,” said UConn coach Geno Auriemma. “It’s a world that's driven by celebrities, stars, and influencers.”
Both Clark and Bueckers are comfortable in this star-driven world, perhaps because it's the only world they've ever known.
The parallel to the rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, which started when Johnson's Michigan State played Bird's Indiana State in the 1979 NCAA championship, is quite obvious.
“Suddenly, those two players came on the scene, and everything just lit up, taking off from there,” Auriemma said. “So, it needs some stars. It needs people with the right personality and the right game. And we have that now.”
The point is, Bueckers and Clark don’t see themselves as competitors in the traditional sense. If anything, they think they’re just riding the wave of a trend that has been growing for years, long before they became famous enough to be known by just their first names.
When asked why interest in women’s basketball has increased, Clark doesn’t credit her record-breaking career, her impressive shooting range, or her team’s success, but rather the increased exposure.
According to Clark, the women’s game has always been excellent. It has simply taken a long time for the world to catch up.
“It’s the platforms that (we’re able to have now) that should have been there for a really long time,” Clark said. “We’ve had some amazing talents come through our game, over the last 10, 20 years.”
Talents that haven’t quite connected in the way that Clark and Bueckers have connected. The easing of rules surrounding name, image and likeness compensation has allowed them to market themselves and their game in ways once unimaginable.
Both understand and accept the responsibility of being a role model, knowing they were once on the other end, looking up to the likes of college and WNBA stars Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen.
“They were everything that I wanted to be like,” Bueckers said. “And they won.”
A trait that has followed Bueckers seemingly from the first time she picked up a ball. It’s telling that when asked about Bueckers’ game, Clark didn’t talk about her impeccable court vision or precise mid-range jumper but what the scoreboard says after nearly every game in which she plays.
“She’s always been dominant,” Clark said. “Every team that she’s ever been on, she’s led them to great success. It’s just what she does. She’s a winner.”
That hasn’t changed, though the dynamics around the way Clark and Bueckers are perceived have flipped over the last three years.
It was Bueckers, not Clark, who was the top recruit in the Class of 2020. It was Bueckers, not Clark, who was recruited by the Huskies, though Auriemma did point out this week “if Caitlin really wanted to come to UConn, she would have called me.” It was Bueckers, not Clark, who won that first meeting in 2021 and became the “media darling,” as Bueckers put it Friday.
Clark is in that position now. Setting the NCAA Division I scoring record and playing with a fearlessness that is equal parts thrilling and accessible will do that.
Security people had to clear a path deep inside Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Friday to make sure she could make it from one media opportunity to the next. When UConn and Bueckers came through an hour later, the throng was half the size.
Even for a player who says on the court she can see things before they happen, it’s been a lot. The 22-year-old Clark welcomes the attention because she understands it has brought new people to her sport. Yet she’s not here to be The Star, as much as people want to thrust that moniker on her.
Three years ago, it was Bueckers. The last two years, it’s been her. Next spring it might be Bueckers during her redshirt senior season. Bueckers is leaning toward this year’s blockbuster freshman class, a group that includes USC’s JuJu Watkins or Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo. A decade from now, it might be some young woman who didn’t pick up a ball until she watched Clark hoist it from deep and Bueckers weave through traffic in the lane.
Clark doesn’t view herself or Bueckers as the final outcome of something, but rather the most recent parts in a chain that is becoming stronger with each passing season.
Clark mentioned, “It doesn’t have to be one superstar that is the ultimate goal, just like I believe there doesn’t have to be one ultimate team. The young talent will only improve.”
