“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.
"I have all the confidence in the world in this group, and they believe right back in me."
—Caitlin Clark after a historic performance in the #WFinalFour pic.twitter.com/MFWCsgTBqC
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 1, 2023
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:
- A True Team Believes In Each Other – “All we did was believer in each other.”
- A True Team Defines Reality – “We might not be the tallest. We knew they were going to be us on the glass.”
- A True Team Makes Great Plays When Needed – “We had some heart and some belief and we came through when we needed big plays.”
- 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.”
- 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.”
- A True Team Shows Great Resilience – “We never hung our heads. We just came back down every single possession and got after it.”
- 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.”
- 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.
My latest eBook is available for download. The Top 65 Leadership Quotes Of 2022 Part 1 is a resource every leader should have. Great quotes bring clarity and put into words who we intuitively feel as leaders. They give us wisdom and insights which advance the mission and vision of our organizations. This eBook includes thoughts and insights from leaders like Warren Buffett, Nick Saban, James Clear, Dawn Staley, Jurgen Klopp, Jerry Seinfeld, and even Ted Lasso. This resource will take you about 10 minutes to read but a lifetime to apply. You will want to stop and ponder the implications of each quote. Click HERE or on the image provided for immediate download!