Caitlin Clark once again a Naismith Trophy finalist

Is the repeat inevitable?

Surprise, surprise, Caitlin Clark is once again a finalist for the Naismith Trophy national player of the year.

The Iowa point guard is the incumbent national player of the year, becoming the second Hawkeye to win the award last year after a stellar season.

Clark took home the award last season after leading Iowa to the Big Ten Tournament championship, followed by an appearance in the national championship game.

She swept virtually every award after leading the nation in assists with 8.6 per game, all while scoring an uber-efficient 27.8 points per game. That was the second-best mark nationally behind only Villanova’s Maddie Siegrist.

Now, Clark is once again the favorite to be named the Naismith Trophy national player of the year despite some hefty competition around her.

Stanford’s Cameron Brink, UConn’s Paige Bueckers and USC‘s JuJu Watkins join Clark as Naismith Trophy finalists. All four players are fantastic in their own right, with the freshman Watkins looking like the next big thing in collegiate women’s basketball.

Somehow, Clark stepped her game up to another level this year, leading the nation in both points and assists per game. She led the Hawkeyes to another Big Ten Tournament championship with an incredible 31.8 points per game. The second-highest scorer in the nation, JuJu Watkins, averaged 26.9 points per game.

It was truly a historic season for Clark, who became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I basketball history. That’s not just the women’s mark that she surpassed set by Kansas’ Lynette Woodard. Clark also finally took down LSU legend “Pistol” Pete Maravich’s long-time points record.

Clark looks to finish on top as a two-time national player of the year.

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