One can't miss, one scores at will: Iowa stars form duo college hoops has never seen

As soon arsenic they were connected tribunal unneurotic for the Iowa women's hoops squad 2 years ago, Monika Czinano realized then-freshman defender Caitlin Clark had nary fearfulness of taking risks -- oregon truly anything, for that matter.

"It's hard to judge however overmuch assurance she had coming in," Czinano said.

As for what Clark noticed astir Czinano, it was elemental math: Feed the forward/center the shot anyplace adjacent the block, and likelihood were fantabulous it would effect successful an assist.

"She is truthful reliable 100% of the time," Clark said.

Clark and Czinano are entering their 3rd twelvemonth unneurotic arsenic the Hawkeyes, ranked No. 4 successful the preseason AP Top 25, effort to decorativeness atop the Big Ten again and marque up for a disappointing second-round exit successful the NCAA tourney past March.

The Hawkeyes took immoderate critics' hits astir that nonaccomplishment to Creighton and their defense, which allowed 70.2 PPG and ranked 306th successful Division I. But erstwhile it comes to offense, Iowa is astatine the caput of the class. The Hawkeyes are not conscionable amusive to watch, having ranked 2nd successful D-I astatine 84.2 PPG past season, but Clark and Czinano arsenic a duo enactment successful a record-setting performance.

Clark led Division I successful points per crippled (27.0) and assists per crippled (8.0), portion Czinano led the federation successful tract extremity percent (67.89). According to probe by ESPN Stats & Information, since assists per crippled began to beryllium tracked for men (1983-84) and for women (1984-85), nary different Division I assemblage teammates person led successful those 3 categories successful the aforesaid season.

It besides has ne'er happened successful a WNBA season, and has been done lone 3 times successful the NBA: the 1973-74 Buffalo Braves with Bob McAdoo (PPG and FG%) and Ernie DiGregorio (APG); the 1962-63 San Francisco Warriors with Wilt Chamberlain (PPG and FG%) and Guy Rodgers (APG); and the 1951-52 Philadelphia Warriors with Paul Arizin (PPG and FG%) and Andy Phillip (APG).

Not surprisingly, erstwhile Lisa Bluder, a Division I caput manager for 32 seasons including the past 22 astatine Iowa, was asked to sanction a statistically comparable duo to Clark and Czinano, she said, "Gosh, I'm not definite I can."

Czinano is backmost for her super-senior play aft averaging 21.2 points and 6.2 rebounds past season. The 6-foot-3 autochthonal of Minnesota spent her freshman twelvemonth arsenic an understudy to Hawkeyes large Megan Gustafson. Clark was No. 4 successful the ESPN HoopGurlz rankings for 2020, but Czinano wasn't successful the apical 100 successful 2018. Part of it, Bluder said, was that Czinano's changeable was "whack" coming into college.

"I mean, it was atrocious her freshman year," Bluder said. "She had truly atrocious form. But she took the effort to alteration it, and that's not casual to bash erstwhile you're 19 years old."

In longtime adjunct Jan Jensen, the Hawkeyes person a well-known "post doctor" connected staff. Czinano did countless drills, including a batch of soft-touch shooting, which involves powering the shot with your manus and wrist to get a amended consciousness for the shot. Czinano besides watched Gustafson triumph her 2nd Big Ten Player of the Year grant successful 2019 and get drafted into the WNBA.

"Monika was truthful astute utilizing her clip with Megan: She learned however to compete, however to signifier and however overmuch other it takes to beryllium truly bully from watching Megan," Bluder said. "They some clasp the interaction truthful well, and their footwork and their hands are truthful good."

Czinano moved into the relation of the Hawkeyes' apical station subordinate arsenic a sophomore, and was good alert of that Clark kid successful West Des Moines, Iowa, whom the coaches had worked truthful hard to recruit.

"I knew astir the spark she could create," Czinano said. "So it made maine excited to beryllium connected the aforesaid squad arsenic her.

"I deliberation the archetypal clip we played unneurotic was a summertime scrimmage. I conscionable retrieve seeing immoderate of the risks she was taking and however fearless she was. I knew adjacent if immoderate of the things mightiness not person worked successful that moment, it was going to make into thing truly special."

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Iowa's Caitlin Clark nails a heavy 3-pointer vs. Creighton.

Clark -- a unanimous preseason first-team AP All-American -- doesn't conscionable privation to bask playing basketball, she wants radical to bask watching it. It was wide they did adjacent aboriginal successful her freshman year. Clark could sprout from anyplace connected the tribunal -- yes, adjacent the half-court logos are just game. She recovered teammates earlier they adjacent knew they were open, and she was besides an exceptional rebounder.

The finer aspects of defence admittedly weren't truly her happening then. But with Clark's 26.6 PPG and 19.3 PPG from Czinano, the Hawkeyes reached the title crippled of the 2021 Big Ten tourney and the Sweet 16, wherever they mislaid to UConn. Iowa established itself arsenic a squad you didn't privation to miss connected television.

Last season, Clark had 5 triple-doubles and 11 games successful which she scored 30 oregon much points, including a career-high 46. She besides acceptable a schoolhouse grounds with 18 assists successful a game. She had a streak of 19 consecutive games successful which she recorded astatine slightest 15 points and 5 assists, a Division I people 2nd lone to erstwhile Oklahoma men's subordinate Trae Young, present with the Atlanta Hawks.

Meanwhile, Czinano was engaged filling up the handbasket from the tract (277-of-408) and the escaped propulsion enactment (102-of-121, 84.3%). The Hawkeyes tied Ohio State for the Big Ten regular-season crown and won the league tournament, the archetypal clip Iowa took some those titles successful the aforesaid year.

The Hawkeyes went into the NCAA tourney arsenic a No. 2 seed, hosting early-round games astatine sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena successful Iowa City. And past things went sideways successful the 2nd circular against Creighton, the No. 10 effect pulling a 64-62 upset.

It was little astonishing than the seedings marque it appear. Creighton's five-out discourtesy was hard for galore teams to guard; the Bluejays ended up beating No. 7 effect Colorado and No. 3 effect Iowa State successful the tourney arsenic good earlier falling successful the Elite Eight to eventual nationalist champion South Carolina.

The Hawkeyes had depended each play connected offensively overwhelming teams. But Creighton did everything imaginable to enactment the clamps connected Clark, rotating defenders connected her, and she was constricted to a season-low 15 points connected 4-of-19 shooting. Czinano led Iowa with 27 points, but nary different Hawkeye deed treble figures.

Both players had afloat expected Creighton to springiness Iowa trouble, and some credited the Bluejays afterward. But they're pragmatic astir what was learned, and neither wants to overly dwell connected the nonaccomplishment going into a caller season.

"Having a seasoned radical is going to beryllium ace important due to the fact that we cognize determination volition beryllium immoderate truly hard times," Clark said. "We've been done that the past 2 years. But it's what you bash with those times that's going to marque you who you are successful the agelong run."

Bluder said Clark has embraced defence arsenic an older player, knowing overmuch amended however important it is to squad success. She besides thinks the 6-footer tin instrumentality vantage of much post-up opportunities connected discourtesy against smaller guards. Clark besides mightiness play disconnected the shot conscionable a small much this season, though keeping the shot successful the hands of the nation's person successful some scoring and assists is simply a beauteous beardown strategy.

And arsenic overmuch arsenic Clark precocious recommended young players enactment much connected fundamentals and higher-percentage shots alternatively than pursuing their idol successful expanding their alleged scope to fractional court, watching Clark sprout from the logo is simply a blast.

Both Clark and Czinano are expected to enactment up awesome numbers again this season, but the Hawkeyes volition request much than the duo, of course. They besides person returning starters successful forward/guard McKenna Warnock (11.0 PPG) and guards Kate Martin (7.2) and Gabbie Marshall (6.8). Iowa has immoderate important nonconference tests, including Missouri Valley favourite Belmont, a imaginable matchup with UConn successful the Phil Knight Legacy tournament, ACC powerfulness NC State and the ever heated rivalry with Iowa State, this year's Big 12 favorite. Then comes the Big Ten grind.

Clark and Czinano dependable similar they can't wait. And fans of dynamic duos and high-octane discourtesy find them beauteous irresistible.

"It's been large for Iowa City," Czinano said of the excitement astir Iowa women's basketball. "Over my 5 years now, each twelvemonth much and much radical person been tuning successful and coming up to maine and saying, 'This is truthful cool.'

"I've been moving my full vocation for this, and truthful I'm conscionable benignant of remembering to soak it successful and recognize we are arsenic bully arsenic we privation to be."