The Caitlin Clark logo 3 legacy remains in the Carver-Hawkeye arena, and this time it’s another CC. Today’s first-quarter winning boost came from Chazadi “chit-chat” Wright, and the Iowa fans couldn’t be any happier.

The Iowa Hawkeyes squared up a 74-68 victory over Michigan State. But Wright really took the spotlight as she closed the first quarter with a buzzer-beater 3-pointer from half-court. And from there, Hannah Stuelke and Ava Heiden carried. The Hawkeyes led 22-16 by the end of the first quarter.

The 5’4 sophomore guard has been managing 12.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game with 46.5 FG% this season. But her playmaking skills bounced up against Michigan. She racked up 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists against the Spartans. The first 3-pointer sent the fans into total frenzy.

“Only halfway through the season and Chit Chat is already a legendary Hawkeye”, a fan commented over Twitter, “I thought the neighbours were gonna call the police to check on me, I screamed so loud! Let’s Go Chit Chat!!!” said another.

The hype was real, and Coach Jan Jensen just had to join the players on the court to celebrate. However, she knew what Chit-Chat was all about even before today’s big shot.

“The beauty of Chit-Chat and the hard thing is she’s such a pass-first point guard, and she loves to defer. If there’s a play that has three options and they’re all for her, she’ll choose every other option before one of those three”, the Coach said, “It’s a unique battle, and so, I’ve been really working with her and challenged our staff…You see, when she gets going, it really opens everybody else up.”

Now that makes one thing clear,

Iowa Is Managing Caitlin Clark’s Absence Well

There was one problem that needed improvement. And that was shaping the guard into a scorer. Wright herself had said before that she’d much rather pass than score.

“Since I was a little girl, I just loved to come off screens and pass, make the cool pass,” she said, “I’d rather pass than shoot or score.”

But the coach knew better. “If I get her to score a little bit more, she can score at every level”, was Jensen’s remark. And Wright’s 3-pointer today was a confirmation that Jensen was spot on about her.

And not just her, the Hawkeyes are playing some great basketball with Stuelke and Heiden on the roster. Who added a combined 42 points and 15 rebounds in today’s showdown.

Clark is now the WNBA hotshot. But the Stuelke-Heiden-Wright trio is making some serious on-court statements, too. What waits for them in the pro league?

Written by

Deblina Roy

Edited by

Joyita Das