One could see plenty of three-point tries this week in the four tournaments being contested at the Langley Events Centre, and that’s the influence from WNBA star Caitlin Clark.
Caitlin Clark connects.
With her play at the University of Iowa and now the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, the 23-year-old Clark is credited with being an engine behindwomen’s basketball powering its way toward a larger mainstream audience.
It hits here, too, with her name and game resonating with B.C. high school players. The senior girls’ basketball provincials are celebrating their 75th anniversary this week. Action begins in all four tiers at the Langley Events Centre on Wednesday, culminating with the finals there Saturday.
“I’ll be walking into my class and I’ll hear people talking about how Caitlin Clark dropped 50 (points) on Angel Reese last night, and how she’s way better than Angel Reese,” St. Thomas More Knights Grade 10 guard Kyla Limon said, pointing to another of the women’s hoops’ rising stars. “People in my grade talk about it. The guys too.
“It’s crazy to look at how many people are watching women’s sports now compared to even two years ago, and she’s such a part of that. And I think she’s helping girls get out of their comfort zone and gain confidence in sports.”
Riverside Rapids Grade 12 guard Jorja Hart added: “Caitlin Clark is a big influence. She’s showing what girls are capable of doing within sports. She’s always super-humble and works hard, and I think that she’s a good role model for players in B.C. to have.”
Demicah Arnaldo, who’s a Grade 11 guard with Burnaby’s STM, says the increased media attention that women’s sports in both Canada and the U.S. is getting is easily apparent, and teammate Mia Beliveau, who’s a Grade 11 guard/forward, believes that “it’s inspiring to see how women’s basketball has grown.”
Longtime Riverside coach Paul Langford says Clark’s practice routines captured on things like YouTube and her Instagram updates are routinely talking points with his Port Coquitlam squad.
He used to cite Michael Jordan and LeBron James as his examples when he was explaining drills and schemes in practice. Now, it’s players like Clark and Reese, and Paige Bueckers.
Clark is the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history — man or woman. One of the reasons for that is her seemingly endless three-point range. You get the feeling at times that she could hit shots from the parking lot.
The Fever posted on Instagram in August that Clark’s three-pointers at the time were coming from an average of 28 feet, 1.1 inches, which was two feet better than any other player in the league. The WNBA three-point line is at 22 feet, 1.75 inches.
Outside shooting has become trendy in boys’ basketball in this province the past few years, and it’s been attributed to the long-range prowess of Steph Curry. It’s happening in the girls’ game now, and it’s being tied to Clark.
“Every now and then you might mutter, ‘Hey, you’re not Caitlin Clark. We don’t want you jacking it up that much,’ ” Langford said with a laugh. “But, obviously, she’s a super-positive influence on the girls’ game and women’s sports in general. It just helps when you can see it at the next level.”
B.C. girls’ basketball is taking its own step-up-a-level at these provincials. To celebrate the anniversary, the LEC has tracked down photographs from past championship squads, and a group of coaches and organizers have selected all-decade all-star teams. As well, championship Saturday this time around will be played in the main arena for first time, like the boys’ finals are.
The arena is a much bigger venue. There have been boys’ finals with game attendances reported at over 6,000.
Bobby Braich, who’s the longtime coach of Abbotsford’s Yale Lions, has been a proponent of moving the championship Saturday to the arena.
“There’s the one or two coaches who have reached out to me and said, ‘Are we sure we want to do this?’ ” Braich explained of the Saturday switch. “But I think we’re going to outperform. I’m so bullish and so excited. I’ve been at the ground level trying to make this happen and now I’m seeing key people who weren’t maybe with this initially who are coming on full force now.”
“I walked out of there thinking that was the best female basketball player I’ve ever seen in my life, and so did everybody else in the building,” Braich said. “And it said to me that we need to get this game elevated. We’ve created really good high school basketball players in this province, but we can give them more of a platform to make a name for themselves.
“Why in B.C. are we struggling with going to the arena bowl? To me, it seems so simplistic. Just put the nice dinner plates out. Quit being so cheap.”