Caitlin Clark’s Free Throw That Led to New NCAA Scoring Record the ‘Worst Thing’ in Basketball, Per Fever Star

Caitlin Clark’s logo threes have evoked several comparisons with Stephen Curry. Thus, it was natural that the stellar long-range sniper would have loved to break Pete Maravich’s All-time NCAA basketball scoring record with a deep-range bucket. However, it was a free throw that made her cross the Maravich mountain. In her latest appearance on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’, Clark talked about her nervousness on the foul line, despite finishing her NCAA career with an 85.8% conversion. 

McAfee recalled how she had broken the All-time NCAA women’s scoring record by nailing a deep three. On the flip side, she broke Maravich’s record less dramatically, while nailing a couple of free throws. The host brought up how the “world was looking” at her when she made the foul-line trip.

“By myself, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’ll be really bad if I shot an air-ball’. That’s the worst thing in basketball where you have to shoot a free-throw with nobody on the line. It’s like it’s just weird, you don’t do it often,” Clark told Pat McAfee.

McAfee also touched upon the NCAA All-time leading scorer’s love for hooping. He wondered how the sharpshooter could practice “10 thousand shots a day”. Alluding to her “addiction” to basketball, the ESPN analyst asked the Fever guard how she has gotten the ability to be “in the zone”. The former Hawkeyes sniper referred to her family’s influence, particularly her father,

“I loved basketball growing up, that’s what I did. My dad played in college. I had an older brother, he like always played so I just tagged around him and I begged my dad to put a hoop in the driveway.”

“When I pulled up for the record I knew that it had to be a long three..

I loved basketball growing up and my dad played in College..

I begged him to put a hoop in the driveway and I was out there a lot” ~ @CaitlinClark22 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/Sv0gWdmZqL

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 17, 2024

This incredible drive translated her into becoming a star hooper in her hometown Des Moines. Through the support of her athletic family, she could advance her dream. Who knew it would result in one of the biggest moments in the game’s history?

Caitlin Clark didn’t realize she created history

In early March, the Iowa Hawkeyes guard needed 18 points to cross Maravich’s record and the opportunity to cross the barrier came during a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. She struggled massively in the early parts of the game but soon bounced back. After adding 16 points, she was asked to shoot two free throws in an end-of-quarter situation.

The elite shooter knocked both free throws and as the second one slipped through the net, she made history. At the time, Clark didn’t realize what she had done. It was the boisterous crowd that reminded her of the achievement. After breaking the record she went to ‘Good Morning America’ and recalled how she learned about breaking the 54-year-old record,

“I honestly didn’t realize it until everybody started going wild.”

As the sharpshooter was wrapping up her fourth year with the Iowa program, she turned 22 and was eligible for the WNBA draft. During the GMA interview in March, while referencing her decision to declare for the 2024 WNBA draft, the paradigm shifter expressed being “ready for the next chapter” in her life.