Caitlin Clark won a little extra respect at Indiana Fever training camp on Monday when she beat an male opponent off the dribble and buried a three.
A fan dubbed as “Caitlin Clark broke his ankle” in a social media video of the play. Fever guard Erica Wheeler called out “bye, bye, boy” as Clark’s fake led the male opponent to turn his ankle the wrong direction.
“We all need a teammate like Erica,” Dick’s Sports Goods commented on X, formerly Twitter.
Wheeler, a ninth-year WNBA veteran guard, has been one Clark’s biggest supporters. Though Clark has reached superstar stature, she’s still rookie after the Fever made her the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft out of Iowa two weeks ago on April 15.
“She’s one of the biggest players in the world right now. But she doesn’t act like that,” Wheeler told reporters on Monday. “She’s just like ‘help me’.”
Caitlin Clark Poised to Take Over Erica Wheeler’s Role
Clark, who broke the record career scoring record in the NCAA for both men and women this year, could take over the starting point guard role. Wheeler started last season, and she posted 9.9 points, five assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game.
“All she wants to do is do whatever this team needs, whatever she needs to do for us to be successful,” Fever head coach Christie Sides said about Wheeler during Monday’s press conference. “And I can ask her for anything.”
“If I’m gonna tell her she’s gonna come off the bench, she’s gonna come off the bench. If I tell her I need her to do this, she’s going to do that. I mean, that’s just who she is … her voice and her leadership, it just means so much to our entire team,” Sides added.
Wheeler returns to the Fever after two seasons away with the Los Angeles Sparks and Atlanta Dream. She previously played four seasons with the Fever from 2016 to 2019, which included the team’s last playoff appearance.
“Our goal is the playoffs,” Sides said during Sunday’s press conference.
Caitlin Clark Says She’s Ready for WNBA Action
For Clark, she recognizes a time of transition from the college game to the pro game regardless of her stature. She noted the faster pace but that it suits her.
“This coaching staff is fully prepared,” Clark told reporters on Sunday. “They’ve been watching me for quite some time and the stuff they have planned and the actions we’re going to run are going to be really good for myself, really good for this group in general. A lot of screening action.”
It also doesn’t hurt that Clark last played a competitive basketball game in the women’s NCAA championship game on April 7. Clark and the Hawkeyes came up short against South Carolina in an 87-75 defeat a week before the draft.
“I feel like I’m in really good basketball shape,” Clark said. “There’s no getting back in shape for myself. I’ve been playing basketball.”
“There has not really been an off period. For me, I feel like that’s a really good thing,” Clark added. “You just keep the momentum rolling and keep being myself and keep learning.”
Clark and the Fever tip-off the preseason on Friday in Dallas.
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