• last year
Caitlin Clark, Lisa Bluder Interviews
Transcript
00:00 [INAUDIBLE]
00:02 All right.
00:04 You know, a good road win for us.
00:07 We talked about we want to come in here with intention
00:09 and not just going through the motions and get a W,
00:12 but coming in here and getting better at some things.
00:15 I think we did a better job of rebounding the second half.
00:17 I love 28 assists on five turnovers.
00:21 Really good numbers there.
00:22 Four people in double figures.
00:24 Kaitlin, of course, becomes the Big 10's all-time leading score.
00:29 With this many games to go and overtaking somebody,
00:32 the caliber of Kelsey Mitchell is outstanding.
00:35 So really proud of her, but also her 10 assists
00:38 tonight that she had.
00:40 Great job.
00:41 What did you like about the offense,
00:42 being able to be consistent throughout?
00:44 It wasn't just stretches of really good play.
00:46 It seemed like it was pretty consistent throughout the game.
00:48 Yeah, I agree with you, Kyle.
00:48 I think it was.
00:49 But again, it's four people in double figures.
00:51 I thought Hannah got off to a nice start for us,
00:54 shot the ball well.
00:55 But we shot the ball pretty well from really all the areas,
00:58 all three areas.
01:00 Lisa, I wanted to ask you about a tweet
01:02 you put out a couple of days ago.
01:03 You acknowledged the kid that Kaitlin signed her shirt
01:05 after the previous game.
01:07 She has cancer.
01:08 Got to talk to her yesterday.
01:10 And it really-- watching Kaitlin do her thing
01:12 and watching you guys do your thing, that really
01:14 helps her get through some tough days.
01:16 Does that deepen the level of appreciation
01:18 of what you guys are doing right now?
01:20 I think so.
01:21 For us, it's more than just the game of basketball.
01:24 We want to be really good at the game of basketball.
01:26 And if we can do that at the same time
01:28 as being good role models and just making people feel better.
01:33 There's a lot of crud going on in the world right now.
01:35 So it's nice to have something that people
01:37 can be happy about and joyful about.
01:39 And I think our team is that.
01:40 Kaitlin, did you have a goal in your mind,
01:42 like how quickly you wanted to pass these two
01:46 greats before you?
01:47 No, I did not.
01:50 So are you pleased that you got it done in the second quarter?
01:53 Honestly, I didn't even know at what point it occurred.
01:56 But I think the coolest thing is just the names
02:01 that I get to be around.
02:02 Those are people that I grew up watching, especially
02:04 Kelsey Plum, Brittany Greiner, Kelsey Mitchell.
02:08 Those are really, really great players, people
02:10 that are still playing our game at the very highest level
02:12 and people that you watch night in and night out.
02:14 So just special for me to be in the same area as them.
02:16 And obviously, I played with a lot of really good teammates
02:19 that have allowed me to do my thing.
02:20 And Coach Bluter, obviously, is kind
02:22 of what she pitched to me when I got recruited four years ago.
02:25 We play a fast, up-tempo offense.
02:27 And you're going to have the ball in your hands.
02:29 And she's kind of just let me thrive and be me.
02:32 And there's not a lot of coaches out there
02:35 that would probably allow that every single night.
02:37 So I'm just very thankful.
02:39 Kaitlin, you weren't hitting from the outside
02:40 as much as usual tonight.
02:42 You seem to then start to take to the hole a lot.
02:44 Can you talk about that last--
02:46 generally, overall, about that night,
02:48 but that last moment where it seems like the Wildcats
02:49 thought you were just going to pass?
02:51 Yeah, like you said, I didn't shoot it very well from 3
02:54 to night.
02:54 And I've been shooting the ball pretty well.
02:56 So you're due for one of those nights here and there.
02:58 And it was just a little short, no legs.
03:00 So that happens.
03:02 But I think get to the basket, got to the free throw line,
03:04 made all 10 of my free throws.
03:06 That's just kind of what you have to do.
03:07 And then, obviously, in the fourth quarter,
03:08 I think they knew I was kind of hunting assists a little bit.
03:11 So I kind of faked them out.
03:12 I faked myself out.
03:13 I don't know if I've ever been so open and so many people
03:16 screaming at me to shoot it.
03:17 Usually, that's not a problem.
03:19 But yeah, no, that was kind of a funny little scenario
03:21 there at the end.
03:22 With all that pressure you go through
03:24 and all the accolades and all that,
03:26 how do you kind of stay humble and grounded?
03:28 Do your teammates help coach your family?
03:31 I think my teammates, my coaches, my family.
03:34 I think I really understand.
03:36 None of this comes just because of me.
03:37 There's people around me that let me be successful,
03:40 no matter what areas of life it is,
03:42 whether it's getting to play with 14 other girls that
03:46 give their heart and soul just as much as I do to this program.
03:49 The coaches that allow me to be me,
03:50 and they coach me really hard.
03:51 Or my parents and my family that I lean on every single day.
03:55 I think it takes everybody.
03:56 It takes a whole group of people to let me be me.
04:00 And I think as my career has unfolded,
04:02 I don't feel much pressure coming into these games.
04:05 The more people, the more calm I am kind of thing.
04:07 And I truly mean that.
04:08 And I'm just really grateful.
04:10 And I try to take it all in and enjoy
04:12 every single second of it.
04:13 Lisa, you mentioned Hannah Stolke in your intro.
04:17 She's had maybe a little bit of a rough stretch,
04:19 maybe the way that you want to characterize it.
04:21 What did you see from her tonight
04:22 that made you kind of feel that maybe she
04:24 was back in a good rhythm?
04:25 I just thought she had a little more spring in her step.
04:27 Nine rebounds is good.
04:29 But she didn't back down from anybody.
04:31 She worked hard on defense down there.
04:33 I mean, they were pretty physical inside,
04:34 and she worked hard on that.
04:36 But obviously, I thought she just ran the floor a little bit
04:39 harder tonight.
04:40 Kaitlin, two years ago, you come in here
04:42 and say maybe 1,500 people in the stands.
04:44 Now it's a sellout.
04:45 I know you've had these a few times in a row.
04:47 What do they kind of mean to you to see
04:49 who's coming out to see you and to see Iowa every time you
04:51 guys hit the road?
04:52 Yeah, I think this was one that was definitely circled
04:55 on my calendar, just because I know the amount of Iowa
04:58 fans in the Chicago area.
04:59 So I was super excited to come here.
05:02 I love this gym.
05:02 And Coach Joe, I have so much respect for him.
05:05 I think he's amazing.
05:06 He's amazing for women's basketball.
05:07 And we've had a lot of really good battles in this arena.
05:09 I believe last time I was here, we went to overtime.
05:12 And it was a great one.
05:13 I think Veronica Burton was still on the team at the time.
05:16 But yeah, I mean, it's cool to see just how the crowds have
05:19 changed as my career has unfolded.
05:21 Obviously, I start in COVID, where it's just family.
05:23 And now every single game I play in, it's all sold out.
05:26 So it's not something you ever take for granted.
05:29 And it's kind of--
05:30 I don't know.
05:31 I mean, I think it's kind of crazy people
05:33 are screaming my name so much.
05:35 It's not something you really ever get used to.
05:37 What about people waiting in line?
05:38 I mean, there's people in line at 10 in the morning here.
05:40 Yeah.
05:40 Like, what do you think about that?
05:41 It's kind of blow your mind a little bit.
05:44 Well, I wish it was all reserved seating
05:45 so nobody had to do that.
05:46 It would make everybody's life maybe a little easier.
05:49 But that's just like dedication.
05:51 I think it just shows what people
05:52 are willing to give to be able to watch our team play.
05:54 And I know how excited people are.
05:57 And any time we step on the floor, whether it's at home
06:00 or whether it's on the road, people
06:01 spend a lot of time and money to get up to a place
06:03 to watch us play.
06:04 So I always want to take time and sign a couple
06:07 autographs after and try to play the best I can and smile,
06:11 have fun, because not many people, one,
06:13 get the chance to come see us play,
06:15 and two, a lot of people are spending a lot of time, money,
06:17 and resources to have these opportunities that hopefully
06:20 will give them memories for the rest of their lives.
06:22 Melanie Daly hit 19 points the night she was really on fire.
06:25 Did you comment on just how it was to go against her?
06:27 Yeah.
06:27 I feel like she always plays really well against us,
06:29 actually.
06:29 She made a lot of tough twos, and that's
06:31 what we're willing to give up on our offense.
06:33 A lot of those shots were contested shots.
06:35 And yeah, that's what we're willing to give up.
06:37 But she made some tough ones.
06:40 And sometimes you'll have nights like that.
06:42 But yeah, credit to her.
06:42 I thought she had a really nice night.
06:44 It seems like she always gets up a little more for the Iowa
06:46 Hawkeyes.
06:47 And the next game at Maryland, it's
06:49 been a tense rivalry of late, a place you haven't won.
06:52 What are your thoughts going into that game?
06:54 I think this was a good game to kind of prepare us for that.
06:57 They play a little bit of zone defense as well,
07:00 very similar to Northwestern's zone and man.
07:02 So this is a good way to prepare for that.
07:05 I think Iowa and Maryland have always
07:07 had a little bit of a rivalry, even before I got here.
07:10 There were so many good battles, even when Megan Gustafson was
07:12 here, and they would go up against--
07:14 has always had a ton of talent.
07:15 Brenda's done a great job coaching them.
07:17 And I think we're just excited.
07:19 It's a single play, and it's on the road.
07:21 It's one we really need to get.
07:23 And I guess our focus just moves there after we get home tonight.
07:26 And that's what makes the Big 10 so great,
07:29 is every single night you better come ready to play.
07:31 And it's going to be another sold out, crazy environment.
07:33 So we'll be ready to go.
07:35 [INAUDIBLE]
07:35 You came into the game-- you guys came into this game
07:37 as heavy favorites.
07:38 What were you guys kind of looking
07:39 to get out of this game?
07:40 And do you guys feel like you checked off
07:41 the boxes for a good win?
07:43 I think just execution was the biggest thing,
07:45 is we wanted to come out here and execute and get better.
07:48 This wasn't a game where we felt like we were just
07:50 going to walk through it.
07:50 That's not what good teams do.
07:51 And that's what Coach Bluter said.
07:53 We don't have time to be bad for a quarter.
07:55 That's not the point in the season that we're at.
07:57 And just come out, execute.
07:59 I think we did better on the glass.
08:00 Obviously, that's been a problem for us the last two games.
08:02 And like you said earlier, I felt
08:04 like our offense was just kind of flowing better.
08:06 It was great to see Gabby make a couple threes,
08:08 Kate make a couple threes.
08:09 That's huge for us.
08:10 And like you said, I think Hannah just
08:12 had a little bit more pep in her step.
08:14 And going forward, we're going to need
08:15 multiple people scoring in double figures
08:17 to get the results that we really want.
08:18 Kayla, you mentioned Veronica Burton.
08:20 What do you remember about the way that she used to defend you?
08:23 And are you excited to potentially face her
08:25 in the WNBA?
08:27 I think the thing about her is she made their defense go.
08:30 They used to play 100% zone defense when she was here.
08:33 And she just had a knack for the ball.
08:35 And that's what really good defenders have.
08:36 And the thing about her is she was a really, really great
08:39 defender.
08:39 But she wasn't always matched up against me
08:40 just because of the defense that they ran.
08:42 But she always made plays on the defensive end.
08:45 And I would still put her right up there
08:47 with the best defender I've played in the Big 10
08:50 during my entire career.
08:51 I really mean that.
08:52 And WNBA can wait.
08:54 I'm just focused on college right now.
08:56 So you mentioned the assists before.
08:58 How much does Kaitlyn's passing ability open up your offense?
09:02 Oh, it does.
09:03 I mean, well, in her shooting range, too, right?
09:05 I mean, it's both of those things.
09:07 Her ability to attack off the bounce,
09:10 but also stretch the defense out because of her shooting range.
09:12 And then she had a pass tonight that was just ridiculous.
09:17 To Hannah at the end of the shot clock, it was crazy.
09:20 I mean, I just love watching it.
09:21 I get to see it every day.
09:22 But it's fun.
09:24 Kaitlyn, I've personally never seen this before.
09:26 But just seeing the line outside,
09:29 the ridiculous line outside, everyone screaming your name,
09:32 and the cheers, I just want to--
09:34 obviously, you're aware of it.
09:36 But how much do you think about the weight of your greatness
09:39 and how much it has caused?
09:41 Because this was the first sellout in Wilfred Arena
09:43 history.
09:44 And a lot of that's because of you.
09:47 I think it's super cool.
09:49 I think being 22 years old, it's hard for me
09:51 to wrap my head around.
09:52 I think it's something--
09:54 once I'm done playing basketball and my career's over,
09:57 you'll look back and be like, wow,
09:59 those are some of the best memories of my life,
10:01 getting to play in these environments
10:02 with my best friends.
10:03 And I saw the tweets already of all the people lined up
10:08 outside the arena.
10:09 And it's just cool.
10:11 It's cool to see what people are willing to give
10:13 to watch your team for two hours.
10:15 I think it shows what we've done for women's basketball.
10:18 I think it shows the exciting style of basketball
10:20 that we play, but also just the joy and the fun that we have.
10:23 And we share with one another.
10:24 And that's what makes basketball so fun.
10:26 Kaitlyn, you signed the autographs
10:29 after the game ended.
10:30 Being the second highest scorer of all time, which is so awesome,
10:33 by the way, just as an aside, what's
10:37 your message to some young girl who's looking
10:40 to be the next Kaitlyn Clark?
10:43 I would say, honestly, I've always said this,
10:46 but just dream big.
10:47 My parents never restricted me when I was a young girl.
10:50 I grew up playing basketball with the boys.
10:51 I grew up playing soccer with the boys.
10:54 They never told me I couldn't do anything.
10:56 And I think that's honestly been the same story of when
10:58 I came here is I said I wanted to take this team to a Final
11:01 Four when I was a senior in high school.
11:03 And a lot of people doubted me and thought I was insane.
11:05 And then your dreams do come true.
11:07 You can do amazing things.
11:08 And I still get to live my dream every single day.
11:12 There's never an expectation, because you can always
11:14 exceed expectations.
11:15 So you should just never have an expectation of other people
11:19 and what you can do in your life.
11:20 One more.
11:21 Kaitlyn, 10 assists tonight.
11:23 How big is your passing ability in this fast-paced offense?
11:25 And how important is it, especially
11:26 as you look forward to trying to get other players involved
11:29 the way you want to?
11:30 Yeah, I think it's very important.
11:31 I think when I can reach that 10 assist mark,
11:33 we're very, very successful in our win-loss record.
11:36 It opens up the floor for myself.
11:38 It opens up the floor for the other shooters
11:40 that we have on the floor.
11:42 But that's what our offense is about.
11:44 It's a read and react offense.
11:45 You're setting up your teammates for really great shots.
11:47 And that's what makes it fun.
11:48 We always want to have high assists.
11:50 I think we were 28 assists on five turnovers tonight.
11:52 That's really, really impressive.
11:53 So being able to take care of the ball,
11:55 but also find your teammates and share the basketball
11:57 and move the ball in the half-court offense,
11:58 I think we did really well tonight.
12:00 And that's something we've got to do moving forward.