When Caitlin Clark moves — weaving through defensive traffic; waving unsubtly for a teammate’s pass; wriggling free enough to catch, fire, catch fire — people tend to follow. Young girls and old men tug at “22” Clark jerseys that flap above their knees. Stewards of the sport, wary from experience, permit themselves to wonder if something might be different this time. “I’ve stayed away from basketball,” said C. Vivian Stringer, the Hall of Fame former coach at Rutgers and Iowa who retired in 2022. “But how can you stay away from Caitlin Clark?”

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Persons: Caitlin Clark, Clark, Young, “ I’ve, ”, Vivian Stringer Organizations: University of Iowa, Stewards, of Fame, Rutgers Locations: midcourt, Manhattan, Iowa