Caitlin Clark breaks NCAA scoring record
In just 126 career games, University of Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark set a new mark for points scored with 3,569 and counting for NCAA women’s basketball. The record was previously held by University of Washington alumni and WNBA All-Star Kelsey Plum, who scored 3,527 career points in 139 games.
On the night Clark broke the record, she recorded 49 total points, 13 assists and five rebounds while drilling nine three-pointers. Her shot to officially set the record was Clark-level crazy as well, coming as a near half-court jump shot.
Clark’s record is just another added milestone to her college run that has set the sports world on fire. Iowa’s run in last year’s NCAA tournament, which ended at the hands of Angel Reese and Louisiana State University, saw Clark break the tournament record for both points and assists, male or female, in a single run.
Iowa is currently ranked as the No. 4 seed in NCAA women’s basketball and will play four more games before tournament season begins. After the conclusion of March Madness, Clark is widely expected to be the first overall pick by the WNBA’s Indiana Fever in the upcoming draft.
Brooklyn Nets fire Jacque Vaughn
After a less-than-ideal first half of the season, the Brooklyn Nets fired head coach Jacque Vaughn on Monday. Vaughn was originally named the interim coach after the Nets fired Steve Nash six games into last season and was given a multi-year contract extension during a stretch that saw the Nets go 18-2 with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
With the two All-Stars no longer on the roster, the Nets struggled throughout the rest of the 2023 season, finishing as the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference and getting swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Philadelphia 76ers.
At the All-Star break this year, the Nets found themselves as the No. 11 seed in the East, out of playoff contention. The team has struggled through injury and was struggling on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Vaughn’s final game as head coach saw the Nets lose by 50 points to the Boston Celtics. Former University of Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie will take over for the rest of the season.
Penn State drops proposal to name stadium after Joe Paterno
Penn State University dropped a proposal Tuesday that would have named their football stadium after former coach Joe Paterno. Paterno, who died in 2012, was involved in a cover-up of a child sexual abuse scandal that was committed by former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky.
When his contract was terminated by the school in 2011, Paterno was one of the winningest coaches in college history. However, his contract was terminated after Penn State’s board of trustees underwent scrutiny from both fans and media for not immediately firing him upon learning of the scandal.
Last week, it was reported that the school’s board was considering naming their football stadium after the coach but eventually decided against it. Penn State also tore down Paterno’s statue outside the stadium after learning of the scandal.
Sabrina vs. Stephen steals show at All-Star Weekend
NBA’s All-Star Weekend’s viewership peaked at 5.4 million viewers during the 10:00-10:15 window. That window consisted of a three-point showdown between the NBA’s Stephen Curry and the WNBA’s Sabrina Ionescu. The two competed in a traditional three-point contest format and saw Curry come out on top, 29-26.
The event was a major win for both leagues, outshining other competitions such as the Dunk Contest, the regular Three-Point Contest and the Skills Challenge. Ionescu rose to the occasion, stepping back from the usual WNBA three-point line to shoot from the same range as Curry. Ionescu’s score of 26 would have been tied for the most any player made in the regular contest.
With next year’s All-Star Game being in Curry’s home San Francisco, many are assuming there will be a rematch of the contest that so many tuned in to watch. Other possibilities for a remake could include Clark and back-to-back three-point contest champion Damian Lillard.
wjackso2@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @IowaWBB, X
