Amid a sea of congratulatory messages, this one stood out

As if it couldn’t be clearer, the Fever made it obvious on Sunday that they plan to draft Clark next month.Lapresse and X/@IndianaFever

Iowa guard Caitlin Clark on Sunday became the NCAA‘s all-time scoring champion during a thrilling 93-83 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Clark stands alone with 3,685 points, more than any other collegiate basketball player in history, and — other than trying to lead the Hawkeyes to a national championship — has little else left to accomplish in her college career.

That means the next step is the WNBA, and Clark this week declared for the 2024 draft. It had been widely expected that Clark would be the top overall selection on April 15, but that was practically confirmed by an unusual message that Clark received after she passed Pete Maravich in Sunday afternoon’s top-10 showdown.

Caitlin Clark loses composure when Maya Moore came to watch her break NCAA scoring record

Indiana awaits Caitlin

In a rare but telling move, the Indiana Fever congratulated Clark for setting the NCAA’s new scoring record with two free throws in the dying seconds of the first half. The Fever own the #1 pick in the draft, and the franchise’s social media team did not necessarily have to say anything on X (formerly Twitter) — but its choice to do so makes it obvious that Clark will don an Indiana jersey once she leaves Iowa City.

The Fever are the first team this decade to secure the top overall pick in consecutive WNBA drafts. With the #1 selection in 2023, Indiana took South Carolina Gamecocks center Aliyah Boston, who was named WNBA Rookie of the Year last season. Boston averaged 14.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in 2023, but the Fever finished 13-27 — the third-worst record in the W.

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Pairing Boston with Clark will give the Fever a dynamic duo that has the potential to reach a championship ceiling in the coming years. Fever season tickets at Gainbridge Fieldhouse have been going fast since Clark declared for the draft, and attendance figures at the 17,274-seat arena — shared with the NBA‘s Indiana Pacers — are expected to spike next season in anticipation of the do-it-all guard’s arrival.

Boston and Clark next year will be further supplemented by All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell and forward NaLyssa Smith — the #2 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft — as the Fever’s future, complete with championship aspirations, begins to take shape.