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Regardless of the result on Sunday, Iowa star Caitlin Clark will turn pro and head to the WNBA to embark on a new journey.
But Diana Taurasi – a legend in both women’s college basketball at UConn and the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury – had a stark warning for Clark as she gets ready for the professional ranks.
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Diana Taurasi during the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Training Camp at Cleveland Clinic Courts on April 3, 2024, in Independence, Ohio. (Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
“Reality is coming,” she said on ESPN after the Hawkeyes’ win over the Huskies. “You look superhuman playing against some 18-year-olds but you’re going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.
“There is gonna be a transition period where you’re going to have to give yourself some grace as a rookie.”
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Diana Taurasi of the U.S. national team warms up for an exhibition game against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Nov. 12, 2023, in Durham, North Carolina. (Lance King/Getty Images)
Clark will leave Iowa as the all-time scorer in NCAA basketball history. After Friday’s win, Clark is averaging 31.7 points and nine assists per game.
She’s expected to be the No. 1 pick of the WNBA Draft. The Indiana Fever hold the top draft pick for the second consecutive season.
Last year, Fever selected Aliyah Boston as the top pick out of South Carolina. She was an All-Star in her first season and won the WNBA Rookie of the Year.
Caitlin Clark of the Iowa Hawkeyes reacts during the Final Four game against the UConn Huskies at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 5, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Indiana finished 13-27. The team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016 and won its only championship in 2012.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
