Caitlin Clark experience comes to Bay Area, where she’s ‘a dream come true’ for girls basketball coaches

When Caitlin Clark crosses half court everyone in the building is on high alert It s not unlike what a certain guard for the Golden State Warriors causes when he dribbles the ball past the timeline For the first time on Thursday the worlds of Clark and Stephen Curry will collide at Chase Center in San Francisco as the basketball cathedral made doable by the greatest shooter of all time welcomes his heir apparent on the women s side The startup Golden State Valkyries will take on Clark s Indiana Fever bringing full circle a confluence of long-distance excellence Clark s impact like Curry s has extended far beyond the court she plays on It was Curry who made a generation of young basketball players want to chuck from the logo ruining the meeting as his former coach Mark Jackson put it and fully weaponized the -pointer as the the majority powerful shot available to a participant Curry fundamentally changed the way basketball is played at every level Early in her career Clark is having a similar impact on the women s competition Since joining the Indiana Fever after the WNBA draft Clark has spearheaded a -point surge in the league The WNBA s -point attempt rate this season is the highest in league history That mark had been growing by about a percentage point each year but it made a steep change from to In it was The Valkyries in their first year are at the forefront of the transformation as one of five teams to attempt more than of their shots from Last season only the New York Liberty were over The changes are not limited to the professional level Bay Area girls high school coaches have seen firsthand the way Clark is altering the encounter at lower levels and influencing young players to imitate her exceptional shooting prowess The positives are her mastery of the skill of shooting being a major part of her greatness Pinewood girls coach Doc Scheppler disclosed of Clark s influence She is a willing passer who is fun to play with Her passing angle knowledge and accuracy of her passes are high level Great vision decision and execution She works at growing her encounter Supportive teammate The minor negatives are low-percentage s that aren t efficient and kids seeing those as quality shots with form disintegration They re a wow if they go in but if they don t go in that doesn t translate as a winning basketball play Scheppler has been a longtime advocate of the virtues of the -pointer at the prep level but even he is wary of Clark s more ambitious attempts leading young players astray And to his point those shots certainly produce wow moments Indiana Fever s Caitlin Clark shoots free throws in the first half of a WNBA basketball battle against the Dallas Wings Wednesday July in Arlington Texas AP Photo Tony Gutierrez On Saturday Clark buried three deep triples in a span of seconds in a win over the Liberty bringing the Fever back from a - deficit to tie the contest at - As a whole she made seven -pointers in Indiana s - win over the defending WNBA champions splashing from distances of and feet The WNBA -point line stretches out to feet inches from the basket She has been awesome for the sport disclosed Carondelet coach Kelly Sopak who coached fellow long-distance specialist Sabrina Ionescu at Miramonte High in Orinda Her skill set and fanfare has brought so much attention to the women s encounter When she was a freshman in April of that year I coached against her at the Boo Williams Nike event in Virginia That is when I knew she was going to be a pro and one of the best Her ability to get her shot off promptly and against any association or individual just stood out San Ramon Valley girls coach John Cristiano whose gang often likes to attack from the perimeter has seen firsthand this week the effect Clark has had on individual players and the event at large The arrival of Ms Clark on the women s basketball scene has been the shot of adrenaline that women s basketball has needed Cristiano stated on Tuesday Every young sportsman in our youth summer camps knows about Caitlin Clark and wants to shoot a ball from - feet like Caitlin Clark The increased awareness is a coach s dream come true while at the same time a coach s worst nightmare In fact we are ending practice early on Thursday so the girls can get to Chase to see the Valkyries and Caitlyn Clark It is our hope that she will rebuild the foundation needed to make women s basketball the big draw to young girls that it once was This morning at youth summer camp for K- th graders we had a number of kids proudly repping Caitlin Clark T-shirts Only one Steph Curry T-shirt could be determined in the crowd of future hoopers Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark drives on New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu in the second half of a WNBA basketball match in Indianapolis Saturday May AP Photo Michael Conroy Mitty coach Sue Phillips has seen generations of excellent players come and go She s coached future pros and a bundle of stars who went on to play college basketball Related Articles Valkyries doomed by sloppy play fall to last-place Wings led by Paige Bueckers What experts are saying about the Valkyries after games It s been an impressive start so far Valkyries bring back Chen and Bibby as F gb nl heads to EuroBasket Valkyries win over Storm showcases next wave in WNBA s French revolution She s just super reliable How Kayla Thornton s consistency has anchored Valkyries during winning streak Phillips has never seen anything quite like what Clark brings to the table Caitlin has a large and enthusiastic fan base and it has contributed to the wave of interest and excitement in women s basketball Phillips announced She has certainly been the one on the female side who has received the preponderance attention and celebration for shooting logo s Whatever a fan s WNBA allegiance is it s been apparent that Clark is a premium ratings driver for the league When Clark is on the court people are watching An anticipated sellout crowd will get a chance to see her live and in person on Thursday in San Francisco And millions more will be watching across the country and even the broader world Bay Area girls basketball coaches are tuned in as well I love watching her play and count me in when her games are televised Scheppler stated It s on the DVR