Dowling's Caitlin Clark seeks a normal kid life while being sought by college elite

At Caitlin Clark's home, mail from college basketball programs piles up in thick stacks as coaches from across the country try to make themselves heard.

Dowling Catholic practices and games draw Division I scouts. Coach Kristin Meyer said seven of the top 10 nationally ranked teams have watched her. At a home game against powerhouse Bishop Miege of Shawnee Mission, Kansas, about a dozen coaches sat in the bleachers of the West Des Moines school.

A who's-who of women's colleges have contacted the Clark family or made the trek to the West Des Moines school: Iowa, Iowa State and Drake, along with coaches of top-10 teams Notre Dame, Oregon and UCLA.

Clark’s national profile skyrocketed with her dominance last summer with USA Basketball, and her performance this season has lived up to the hype and more. She’s averaging 27 points, second best in the state, and will lead Dowling on Tuesday against Ankeny in a Class 5A regional final.

She's been ranked No. 1 in the class of 2020 by ESPN's HoopGurlz, was a member of the Team USA U-16 squad last summer and appears headed toward basketball stardom.

But the 16-year-old sophomore guard seeks a normal kid life.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Clark said. "My friends don't treat me like LeBron."

She can sink a 25-foot 3-pointer or nonchalantly pass the ball behind her back to a teammate.

Her high school coach can envision Clark someday playing in the Olympics and the WNBA.

Behind the cheers and jeers is an outgoing, studious and religious girl. She wants to be treated like everyone else. But she's constantly reminded that her talent makes that a difficult task.

How high is her ceiling?

Clark's rising national basketball profile has brought her "a couple dozen" scholarship offers so far, dad Brent Clark said.

That number would be higher if she had already spent more time taking campus visits, he added.

But for now, Caitlin's parents are trying to keep her grounded in the present. Brent takes the phone calls and texts. So does coach Meyer.

They want to keep Caitlin's joys focused on things other than the hustle of big-time college recruiting.

Dan Olson, a national women's basketball analyst for Collegiate Girls Basketball Report and ESPN's HoopGurlz, said there's pressure on athletes who are top prospects.

"It's got to be tremendously difficult for a kid in her late teens to make a life-altering decision," Olson said. "She's lucky, I think, that she has some good pieces in place (like her parents and coaches)."

At the Clark family home, the daughter of Brent and Anne (Nizzi) comes from a family with a sports lineage. Anne's father is former Dowling football coach Bob Nizzi. Creighton basketball player Audrey Faber is a cousin. Brent was a four-sport athlete at Indianola, then went on to play sports at Simpson.

Her older brother, Blake, quarterbacked Dowling to a state football title. Younger brother Colin, is a seventh-grader and a four-sport athlete.

Clark, who also plays soccer, has athletic skills but also the desire to win. She's possessed that quality since she was a young child.

"She's always been competitive," Anne said. "When she was playing Candy Land, she was going to win."

Clark has an inner spirit that pushes her.

"I'm kind of a perfectionist," Clark said. "Sometimes, it's hard for me."

She has a variety of interests, not just basketball. Her family has a golden retriever, Bella. Clark can make brownies or pasta. She accepts a challenge in the classroom (she has a 3.82 grade-point average) and takes courses like advanced geometry, advanced chemistry and Spanish. Her favorite movie is "The Parent Trap" (the newer version), and she loves to eat Chick-fil-A.

In a day and age when the nation's top prospects may pick a college before they even step onto a high school court, Clark isn't feeling rushed.

And that can be a good thing, Olson said.

"A lot of them fail miserably, because they made the wrong choice to begin with," Olson said.

Pursuit of perfection

Caitlin grew angry in yoga class.

A basketball star who won a gold medal for Team USA in Argentina last summer couldn't nail a pose that everyone else seemed to attain.

"I couldn't get a handstand," Clark said. "My teacher could tell I was mad."

Whether it be a yoga move or a classroom project, there are times when her eagerness to get the job done can be her nemesis.

Not getting the handstand right kept her humble, and frustrated.

"Sometimes I go way too fast, and then it doesn't turn out the way it should," Clark said.

On the court, moving with speed can be an asset. She's one of the nation's top point guards, in any class. Her skills at handling the ball, and being able to pass and shoot, have made her a star. Her height (5-foot-11) has made her a select commodity in the world of college coaches.

"That's what the big dogs in college basketball want," Olson said.

Coach Meyer describes Clark as a sociable kid who talks with everyone. Clark is often a go-to ambassador when potential future Dowling kids need a tour of the high school.

Clark's reputation as a talented player has a downside. There are hecklers in the stands who try to get personal and rattle her in games. She tries to block out the noise.

"I kind of let it roll over," Clark said. "Sometimes, you use it for your own motivation."

Being No. 1 makes you a target.

"I've been really impressed with how she's handled it," Meyer said. "She gets a little more heckling from fans."

Clark started playing with the elite club All-Iowa Attack, which has helped her game. She always played with older girls, who nicknamed her "Pup."

Her parents have tried to keep her level-headed and away from pressure. They never forced her to play the game she loves.

"We told her that when you want to be done, you're done," Anne said. "We really want her to enjoy where she's at right now."

The glow of the spotlight

Clark will try to lead her team to next week's state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. She guided last year's Dowling squad to state as a freshman.

The environment of guiding a team against top opponents can be a challenge — at least a dozen future Division I players are likely to be in the tournament.

There will be the watching eyes of Division I coaches, too.

Mike Dick, former executive director of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, said 15 to 20 coaches or more show up in Des Moines to watch players they'd like to see line up for their schools.

Elite programs and Iowa schools are all eager to find a seat in the bleachers.

"It gives us a chance to showcase our kids," Dick said. "It's a highlight for us."

Members of all of the Power Five conferences have contacted the Clark family, Brent said.

A day in the life

The Des Moines Register asked Clark to record a journal of a typical day. Here's a look:

6:45 a.m. — Waking up. She wakes up about 6:45 every day to arrive at school by 7:30. Dowling has block scheduling and her classes start at 8 a.m. three days a week, at 8:30 twice a week. On 8:30 days, she likes to stop and get breakfast at Chick-fil-A. Then she gets a Snapple from the school lunch room.

8:30 a.m. — Religion class. "I just took a test over the sacrament of Baptism. This class is the reason I go to Dowling," Clark wrote. "We get to live our faith every day. Dowling starts every day with prayer and ends every day with prayer. This is a big reason why Dowling has such a special culture and is such a special place to go to school."

10 a.m. — Yoga class. She takes yoga to help develop her flexibility and because it can help prevent injuries. That's followed by her film appreciation class and lunch.

1:30 — Advanced chemistry class. "This is by far my hardest class," Clark wrote. "It's mostly a junior class. It's very challenging, a lot of math-based science."

5:30 — Home life. Following practice, Clark goes home and has dinner with her family. She watches her brothers' sports. Her free time is spent with family, watching TV and eating chocolate chip cookies or ice cream before going to bed between 8-8:30.