'I was begging my mom for tickets.' Young fans pack arena for Caitlin Clark's homecoming

IOWA CITY, Iowa — As soon as Hadley Carsjohns and Maya Conover heard Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever were coming to Iowa, they were telling their parents to get tickets in any way possible.

“I was kind of freaking out,” Conover, 13, told IndyStar from the line to get into Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday afternoon.

“I was begging my mom for tickets,” Carsjohns, 12, added.

Those tickets immediately became hard to come by. The Fever’s game against the Brazilian National team sold out in under 45 minutes, and the secondary market, obviously, wasn’t an option either — those ticket prices were sky-high.

Hadley Carsjohns, 13, and Maya Conover, 12, pose for a photo wearing Caitlin Clark gear Sunday, May 4, 2025, during a preseason game between the Indiana Fever and the Brazil national team at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.

But the two friends lucked out. They have family friends who are season-ticket holders who invited them to the game, allowing Conover and Carsjohns to see Clark play again in the arena where she built her stardom.

They started watching Clark during her freshman year at Iowa, when COVID-19 locked down games across the nation. At Iowa, only family was allowed in to watch games during that 2020-21 season, so Conover and Carsjohns watched on TV.

Even through the screen, they could see how she lit up the Hawkeyes.

“When she first started, I just liked how her energy kind of made, like, the whole court light up a bit,” Carsjohns said.

The two friends followed Clark’s career through college, and even brought some of what she did on the court to their own youth basketball team.

“I think it showed our team that you don’t have to be selfish with the ball, either,” Conover said. “You can pass to teammates to shoot.”

Just behind the two friends in line, Illa Miller, 8, was waiting to get into the game with her mom and brother. Miller, from Tipton, Iowa, has been watching Clark since she went to a game with her grandparents when she was 5 years old.

The game was an early birthday present for Miller, who turns 9 on May 17.

Illa Miller, 8, takes a photo of her brother Lars Miller, 7, while waiting in line to enter the arena Sunday, May 4, 2025, during a preseason game between the Indiana Fever and the Brazil national team at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.

“I like that she doesn’t only think she’s the best at shooting,” Miller said. “I like that she lets other teammates participate… and I thought it was fun now that she’s in the WNBA, we get to watch her improve.”

Those three girls were only a few of the hundreds of young fans that came to watch Clark and the Fever in her return to Iowa City.

Clark made sure to make time for every fan she could, taking pictures and signing autographs before and after the game. At times, she was enveloped by fans hoping for a glimpse of her or a signed jersey. Still, it’s something the superstar cherishes, especially back in her home state.

“Just seeing the amount of people, and the young girls and young boys that stand there and, like, scream for me to sign their stuff, I don’t take that for granted,” Clark said. “Like, that’s so cool. I would be lying to you if I thought that was just like normal, and everybody gets to do that. They don’t. So I’m glad I can be a role model for them.”

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Young Iowa fans pack Carver-Hawkeye Arena for Caitlin Clark homecoming

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‘I was begging my mom for tickets.’ Young fans pack arena for Caitlin Clark’s homecoming

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