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Indiana Fever win WNBA Draft Lottery & Chance to Draft Caitlin Clark (She won't be taking a Pay Cut)

Yes. Plus a shorter shot clock means quicker pace and more possessions which is what she's made for. Finishing at the rim over more size and not being able to "hide" on defense will take some time to adjust to. Plus she's gonna have to pay her dues before she starts getting the friendly superstar whistle again.

not sure about that.
 
Exactly. First off CC will do WHATEVER she needs to do to be ready for this jump. Personal trainer, whatever. She WILL be ready. 2nd, if last years sweet sixteen didn't convince people, I don't know what would. From a very physical Colorado team, Louisville, SC (the best defensive team, and super athletic and physical) to LSU, she played against the best of the best, and torched them all. 140 points in those 4 games averaged 35 per game and 9 assists. Those teams were full of peers who will be in the W as well, and she still upped her game. To top that off when she goes pro they won't be able to defend her with multiple players and junk defenses, because she'll have much better players around her who are better athletes then she plays with now. She may score a few less points, but I'll bet her assists go up quite a bot.

I agree with you. There will be an adjustment period but I don't think it will be long. She's gonna thrive and she's gonna be a superstar in the WNBA.

And I agree, too, that the players in the WNBA are going to not only be able to catch her crazy good passes, they are going to be able to finish. There's going to be a lot of "oooohs" and "ahhhhhs" when she passes and the player finishes.
 
From what you understand? As you will read below, Caitlin says people simply don't understand what she is making now vs what she would make in the WNBA. When she heads to the WNBA, she wouldn't be giving endorsements up and she wouldn't be taking a pay cut.

This is what Caitlin recently stated in a Dan Patrick interview:


Q: Would you be taking a pay cut by heading to the WNBA?

“Not necessarily. I think that’s what gets lost sometimes. I think people don’t understand. NIL is still kind of a thing when you get into pro sports, too. You still have all those endorsements. You still have sponsorships and whatnot, so you’re basically just a professional athlete with that on top of it, too. So, it’s not really something that I would factor into my decision of staying or going too much.”


Caitlin, on how important the WNBA is to her:

“Very important. That’s where I want to be, but I have another year here and possibly one more after that just because of COVID, so probably will have to make a decision on that sometime next year. I really have no clue of what I’m going to do. Stay for an extra year or leave after next year, but I love watching the WNBA.

“I remember really vividly my dad taking me to my first ever WNBA game. Maya Moore was my favorite player growing up. She played for the Minnesota Lynx, so it was pretty convenient. That was only a four hour trip from where I grew up, and I really remember getting to watch her versus Sue Bird and the Seattle Storm. That was like my first ever experience with the WNBA when I was really young.”


Yeah but what is to stop the Swarm from paying Caitlin above the WNBA max contract out of its general fund?
 
With Kate & Gabbie being done after this year, I really wonder if this is it for Caitlin.

And don't forget: her boyfriend works for the Indiana Pacers, so they'd conveniently be in the same city.

But everyone is simply guessing. Here's some more of that:

Watch:

 
Yeah but what is to stop the Swarm from paying Caitlin above the WNBA max contract out of its general fund?
Brad, the Swarm CEO, has stated that they currently are unable to adequately fund the men's and women's basketball programs. They are only able to fund the football program when it comes to acquiring and keeping talent.
 
Brad, the Swarm CEO, has stated that they currently are unable to adequately fund the men's and women's basketball programs. They are only able to fund the football program when it comes to acquiring and keeping talent.
I would rather reallocate that cash to Caitlin vs. some portal CB or something.
 
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Brad, the Swarm CEO, has stated that they currently are unable to adequately fund the men's and women's basketball programs. They are only able to fund the football program when it comes to acquiring and keeping talent.
When did he say this? Last I heard, they were paying all WBB players $15k a year (which imo is “adequate” if not astounding), and he said multiple possible donors had stepped up with interest in major donations toward WBB. Did that change?
 
When did he say this? Last I heard, they were paying all WBB players $15k a year (which imo is “adequate” if not astounding), and he said multiple possible donors had stepped up with interest in major donations toward WBB. Did that change?

$15,000 a year to EVERY WBB player?

Multiple donors will make major donations towards WBB?

Where did you read that?
 
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$15,000 a year?

Multiple donors will make major donations towards WBB?

Where did you read that?

"Heinrichs said that each of the 15 women’s basketball players had the opportunity to earn about $15,000 through his collective this past season."

"Heinrichs said there is new high-dollar interest surrounding women’s basketball and hopes to close the deal on those discussions soon...right now, he's mostly hearing from folks who want to help Hawkeye women's basketball at IowaSwarm.com."


Unless that's all exaggerated / outdated. Which it could be.
 
When did he say this? Last I heard, they were paying all WBB players $15k a year (which imo is “adequate” if not astounding), and he said multiple possible donors had stepped up with interest in major donations toward WBB. Did that change?

Here's the thread where the SWARM Inc CEO, Brad Heinrichs, explains why they currently are unable to support the basketball programs like they need to.

 
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I'm sure that it's tough (impossible?) to support MBB at the level they need to compete with the basketball-only schools but if they're still paying players WBB $15k a year, that's pretty good for that universe. You've got to think that helps us with landing players like Guyton who choose us mostly over our B1G competitors.

After some (basic) research, it seems the only other school that pays all of their WBB athletes equally is South Carolina ($60k last year due to an endorsement deal -- not sure it's still that high this year...someone on Reddit mentioned they thought it was more like $30k now).

LSU / UConn pay some players a lot, but most nothing at all. I don't believe a single other B1G school collective (including Ohio State, Indiana, Maryland) pay their WBB players anything at all. That may not be the case for the new B1G schools though. It's tough to find this kind of info.
 
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"Heinrichs said that each of the 15 women’s basketball players had the opportunity to earn about $15,000 through his collective this past season."

"Heinrichs said there is new high-dollar interest surrounding women’s basketball and hopes to close the deal on those discussions soon...right now, he's mostly hearing from folks who want to help Hawkeye women's basketball at IowaSwarm.com."


Unless that's all exaggerated / outdated. Which it could be.

Any idea what SWARM is paying athletes per hour when they volunteer? It would be interesting to know how many volunteer hours are needed to reach $15,000
 

Indianapolis businesses are already starting the push for Caitlin Clark to declare for the WNBA Draft



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Meghan L. Hall
December 14, 2023 9:37 am ET


The college basketball season isn’t over yet, and the WNBA Draft is still months away, but that hasn’t stopped the city of Indianapolis from lobbying for Caitlin Clark to turn pro.

On December 10, for a consecutive year, the Indiana Fever secured the top pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. The vibes in the city are immaculate as everyone from general manager Lin Dunn to Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is REALLY excited.

Landing the first pick in the draft means there’s an excellent chance the Fever could get Caitlin Clark, and local businesses are already starting their pitches to get the Iowa star to Indy.




 
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Side question: since when is Indiana the home of basketball? I thought Massachusetts / Kansas had the best claims to this title…
 
Huh haha thanks for that. I live down the street from the Basketball Hall of Fame in MA. I’ve visited a couple times and I don’t recall much about Indiana lol but I wasn’t exactly glued to the exhibitions either. The highlight of course is the video of Caitlin Clark (and the other 4 Naismith award winners) right at the entrance!
 
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Caitlin won't have much to prove after this season.

She should be a 2 time National Player of the Year.

And she's gonna crush all of the scoring records.

Important Dates:

Wed Feb 28 at Minnesota: Caitlin projected to break the NCAA Scoring Record of 3,527 points.

Sun March 3 vs Ohio State (Senior Day): is the next and final regular season game vs Ohio State. Will Caitlin participate in Senior Day?

By the end of the B1G Tournament or the First Game of the NCAA Tournament: Caitlin projected to break Lynette Woodard's (pre-NCAA) All Time Scoring Record of 3,649 points.
 

Indiana Fever coaches in Attendance in Iowa City to watch Caitlin Clark, Iowa women's basketball

Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star
Thu, Dec 21, 2023, 4:44 PM CST·1 min read


The Indiana Fever's quest for Caitlin Clark started today.

According to Kyle Huesmann of Hawkeye Report, one of On3's affiliate sites, members of the Indiana Fever coaching staff are in attendance for the Iowa women's basketball game against Loyola-Chicago at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.

Clark is the presumed No. 1 overall pick if she decides to declare for the 2024 WNBA Draft — she has one more year collegiate of eligibility because of the COVID-19 waiver.

On Dec. 10, Indiana won the top pick in the 2024 draft for the second straight season. It is the fourth time in WNBA history that a franchise had multiple consecutive No. 1 picks.

Indiana picked center Aliyah Boston out of South Carolina with the top pick in the 2023 draft, and she became the WNBA Rookie of the Year. The Fever employed a similar strategy with Boston, visiting her in Columbia as she was preparing to make her decision.

Similar to the method with Boston, the Fever said after the draft lottery that they will encourage Clark to make the best decision for her career, whether it be stay in college or go pro.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star

 
do you think the WNBA would be any more physical than the physicality she is seeing in college?

Yeah, but she has the frame to bulk up. The avg height of a WNBA roster is 72.24"s or 6'. The avg PG is around 5'.8", so she will be oversized for her position.
 
Yeah, but she has the frame to bulk up. The avg height of a WNBA roster is 72.24"s or 6'. The avg PG is around 5'.8", so she will be oversized for her position.
Clark did say that she's not sure how she'll be used in the W. She said she could anywhere from a 1 to a 3. One reason you see her playing more in some of the games OFF the ball.....
 
Caitlin says people simply don't understand what she is making now vs what she would make in the WNBA. When she heads to the WNBA, she wouldn't be giving endorsements up and she wouldn't be taking a pay cut. This is what Caitlin recently stated in a Dan Patrick interview:

Q: Would you be taking a pay cut by heading to the WNBA?

“Not necessarily. I think that’s what gets lost sometimes. I think people don’t understand. NIL is still kind of a thing when you get into pro sports, too. You still have all those endorsements. You still have sponsorships and whatnot, so you’re basically just a professional athlete with that on top of it, too. So, it’s not really something that I would factor into my decision of staying or going too much.”


Caitlin, on how important the WNBA is to her:

“Very important. That’s where I want to be, but I have another year here and possibly one more after that just because of COVID, so probably will have to make a decision on that sometime next year. I really have no clue of what I’m going to do. Stay for an extra year or leave after next year, but I love watching the WNBA.

“I remember really vividly my dad taking me to my first ever WNBA game. Maya Moore was my favorite player growing up. She played for the Minnesota Lynx, so it was pretty convenient. That was only a four hour trip from where I grew up, and I really remember getting to watch her versus Sue Bird and the Seattle Storm. That was like my first ever experience with the WNBA when I was really young.”



Caitlin told us on Feb 27, 2023, in the Dan Patrick interview, that she would not be taking a pay cut when she heads to the WNBA. See directly above (tap on "Click to Expand").

Yesterday, Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon of ESPN's “Pardon The Interruption," were flat out wrong when they said otherwise.

Check this out and watch:

 
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Caitlin discusses her upcoming WNBA decision in the video below.

"At the end of the day I got to do what's best for me....If it is my last (season), I want to soak it in and really enjoy it...."


Watch here:


 
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If her star can remain as bright as it is right now, she won't likely take a pay cut due to the endorsements. If she doesn't dominate the league the way she has womens CBB, those endorsements will go away. If I had a sure thing by coming back for one more year, I don't think I would pass that up.
 
If her star can remain as bright as it is right now, she won't likely take a pay cut due to the endorsements. If she doesn't dominate the league the way she has womens CBB, those endorsements will go away. If I had a sure thing by coming back for one more year, I don't think I would pass that up.
I couldn't agree with this post more. The WNBA does not garner the publicity that NCAAW BB does despite all the stars that are in the league. My fear would be she goes to the league and fades away and becomes the biggest fish in the Indianapolis pond.
 
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