• Preseason: Fever vs. Brazil National Team, 4 p.m., Sunday; TV: ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS — Former Iowa women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder remembers the exact moment she saw Caitlin Clark’s game make national news for the first time.

It was Feb. 6, 2022, and the Hawkeyes were stuck in the airport after a sobering loss to Michigan in Ann Arbor. It was a game where Iowa was down by as many as 22 points, and at points, seemed insurmountable.

With Clark, though, it wasn’t truly over.

The sophomore took over the game in the fourth quarter, scoring 21 points and making four 3-pointers over six minutes. Every 3 seemed like it was going to be a heat check; each time, it went in. At one point, she pushed her way through all five of Michigan’s defenders for a layup, causing the Iowa bench to throw their hands up in disbelief.

Clark ended up scoring 46 points that night, setting a Crisler Center record and a new career high. It was a loss, but it got what the young superstar thought was something even bigger — a spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10.

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The Hawkeyes stared at the airport TV in awe as they saw Clark’s efforts broadcasted on national television.

“Coach Bluder wasn’t even that mad that we didn’t win. She was like, staring at the TV like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” Clark told David Letterman on ‘My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.’ “Everybody was just kind of in awe. Even I was like ‘Wow, we’re on SportsCenter. We made SportsCenter top 10.’”

Bluder remembers it slightly different, but she knew it was the start of Clark’s superstardom. And they were witnessing it in real time.

“We could see the ESPN replays going on, but I remember being a little more disappointed than she does about the loss, because obviously, you’re going there to win,” Bluder told IndyStar. “But also, you know, I was just amazed at the way that she brought us back and gave us an opportunity to win that game.

“That’s when it really did start to explode, because then all the men’s basketball players and armchair point guards were all of a sudden paying attention to what was going on.”

ESPN’s cameras will be back at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday as Clark brings her Indiana Fever to Iowa City to face the Brazilian National team in a celebration and thank you from the state she gave so much to.

Clark became a household name what seemed like overnight after that Michigan game. The Hawkeyes recorded three sellouts in 2022, including when they hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament in Iowa City.

By the time Clark’s junior year came around, she was a household name. The curtains, which blocked out unsold seats at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, were permanently up. Fans came from near and far to see the Hawkeye sensation, who was on her way to becoming the undisputed National Player of the Year.

“It was even international, like people were coming from other countries to watch her,” Bluder said. “There were newspaper reporters from France coming to interview and talk about her. It wasn’t an Iowa thing, it wasn’t a Big Ten thing, it wasn’t a Midwest thing. It really was a national phenomenon. It’s fun to be a part of something like that, right? I mean, you know, it can be tiring, it can be pressure-filled, but it’s also a lot of fun.” 

It was something special with Clark, too. Not many players, in the men’s and women’s game, had the amount of juice she did. Not many players could garner those constant sold-out crowds, home and away, as a college player, and help set higher and higher viewership records.

It had to do with her game, of course — her long-range 3-pointers and crafty, no-look passes drew a lot of people in. But what made people stick around, Bluder said, was the type of person Clark is off the court.

“I think it’s her style of play, and I think it’s her relatability,” Bluder said. “I think people can really relate to her, just because she is so honest and she’s humble. People really can relate to that, and they want to get behind that. I think we’ve had great role models for women, but I think Caitlin’s popularity took it to a whole other level.”

It also had to do with her loyalty to her hometown team. Clark, who grew up in Des Moines, chose Iowa over other potential college destinations, including Notre Dame (which she originally committed to).

She played in the time of name, image, and likeness and in an era where players could transfer freely as many times as they wanted. Surely, Clark had interest from some of the women’s basketball blue bloods. Through all the fame and sponsorship deals, that was never something she considered. She wanted to be successful, but not without her hometown Hawkeyes.

“That’s not Caitlin,” Bluder said. “Caitlin is a loyal Iowan, and it never entered my mind that she would leave, never. And we never had that discussion. I just don’t even think it was on the radar. I just think that would have hurt her brand a little bit, but I don’t think that’s why she did what she did (in staying). She really enjoyed playing in Carver, being a Hawkeye, and representing our state.”

Now, Hawkeye fans are rewarding the loyal Iowan and two-time National Player of the Year with a sold-out WNBA game at her alma mater.

Bluder, who is returning from an international vacation on Saturday, is making sure she gets back in time to see her, too.

“I mean, it sold out in 45 minutes,” Bluder said. “That’s how much enthusiasm there is to watch Caitlin playing again in Carver.”