“Your coach told you today common people can do uncommon things.” – ESPN’s Holly Rowe to Iowa Superstar Caitlin Clark

A Historic Player and Performance

Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball player Caitlin Clark is currently the most compelling story in all of basketball.  You heard that right, the most compelling story in basketball is not Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, LeBron James, or Steph Curry.  It is the 6-foot tall guard from West Des Moines, Iowa.

The following are just some of her recent and career accomplishments following the team’s stunning 77-73 stunning victory over the unbeaten and prohibitive favorite South Carolina Gamecocks:

  • 2023 Naismith award-winner as college basketball’s player of the year
  • 6th player in D-I history to score 1,000 points in a single season
  • first player in women’s NCAA’s Tournament history with back-to-back 40-points games
  • scored or assisted on EVERY point in the 4th quarter of her David vs. Goliath performance
  • has scored more points in postseason play (235) than Iowa Football scored all season (230) … with one game to go!
  • her 41 points is the most ever in a women’s national semi-final game
  • her team broke Carolina’s 42-game winning streak
  • over Iowa’s last two wins, Clark has 82 points and 20 assists.  It is the only time a player has averaged 40 points-per-game and 10 assist-per-game in any 2-game span in women’s or men’s NCAA Tournament history.

Immediately following the team’s win, a physically-spent and cramping Caitlin was interviewed by ESPN’s Holly Rowe which you can see below.

Caitlin Clark On What A True Team Is

The following are eight leadership quotes and lessons from Clark on what a true team is that we can glean from her comments:

  1. A True Team Believes In Each Other – “All we did was believer in each other.”
  2. A True Team Defines Reality – “We might not be the tallest.  We knew they were going to be us on the glass.”
  3. A True Team Makes Great Plays When Needed – “We had some heart and some belief and we came through when we needed big plays.”
  4. A True Team Create A Culture Of Value – “All we do is believe in each other and love each other to death and that’s what a true team is.  If you want an example of what a team is, that’s what this team is.  Coach (Lisa) Bluder knows how to create a team.  You gotta create a culture where everybody’s valued.  I’m just lucky enough to be a part of it.”
  5. A True Team Respects Their Rivals – “You’ve got to give them a lot of credit.  They’re a tremendous team.  They’ve had a tremendous year.  They’re so well coached.”
  6. A True Team Shows Great Resilience – “We never hung our heads.  We just came back down every single possession and got after it.”
  7. A True Team Has Great Confidence In Each Other – “I have all the confidence in the world in this group, and they believe right back in me.”
  8. A True Team Never Confuses Activity With Accomplishment – “All that matters is we won and the scoreboard says the Iowa Hawkeyes won.”

Conclusion

Believe in each other, define reality, make great plays when needed, create a culture of value, respect your rivals, show great resilience, have confidence in each other, and never confuse activity with accomplishment.  If your team does these eight things, you have a chance for a championship season as well.

BTW, who is betting against Caitlin Clark on Sunday against LSU?  Not me.

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