“She always kind of had, you know, that little attitude.” The current Iowa head coach Jan Jensen revealed Caitlin Clark has always had a bit of an attitude, especially during high school years. Sometimes, it makes her tough to manage. While Clark’s rookie season was filled with achievements, one challenge she faced was her tendency to rack up technical fouls, often because of her anger. However, she seems unfazed by the calls and disagrees with the frequency of her bookings that season.

In a recent interview with Time, Caitlin Clark reflected on her early high school days. She often mentioned receiving yellow cards while playing soccer. The newly hired Fever coach Stephanie White took the opportunity to joke about Clark’s past and pointed this out. Despite her basketball success, fouls and bookings still follow her. However, Clark quickly fired back.

“What are you talking about?” Clark responded. She finished her season with six technical fouls, tying for the second most in the WNBA. However, if you asked her whether she deserved all of them, she disagreed, insisting that two would have been a more accurate count. “I probably only deserved, like—two.”  

The Fever #22 dominated nearly every aspect of the game this season. However, one thing that lingered in the back of her mind was the looming threat of a technical foul. Known for her fiery passion, Clark was often penalized for voicing her frustration with referees’ calls, making her discontent known with intensity. As the regular season neared its end, Clark found herself on the edge, knowing that one more foul would result in a game suspension.

Nevertheless, Clark’s disagreement with the six technical fouls she received subtly hints towards another layer of her personality, something Jan Jensen recently touched on.

Caitlin Clark’s subtle egoistic behavior

It turns out that teenage Caitlin Clark wasn’t always the cheerful person she is today. “She always kind of had, you know, that little attitude,” shared her coach, recalling Clark’s high school days. “And especially in high school, that could be hard to manage.” But Jensen quickly pointed out this fiery attitude was rooted in Clark’s incredible talent. While her peers were still working to catch up, Clark was already playing at an elite level.

Clark’s fiery attitude, which had been evident during her high school days, hasn’t entirely faded, as seen in her recent TIME interview. Since transitioning from college basketball to the WNBA, Clark has grown in confidence. After watching USC star JuJu Watkins score 27 points in a 68-66 win over Ole Miss on Nov. 4, she admitted that college basketball no longer presents the same level of challenge.

“I feel like if I was out there, I would literally have 50. The college game is so much easier than professional,” Clark said in an interview with TIME Magazine. he also reflected on her remarkable college career, where she led Iowa to consecutive national championship appearances and became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA basketball.

Clark’s journey to the WNBA wasn’t without its hurdles. After being selected first overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft, she took time to adjust to the higher levels of professional basketball. But despite the immense pressure and expectations, she thrived, eventually earning Rookie of the Year honors. Now, just after a stellar rookie season, she’s been named TIME‘s 2024 Athlete of the Year.

Given her rise to stardom, a bit of attitude is to be expected. But as impressive as her performance was, the technical fouls remain an area she can improve on. It can only benefit her team and elevate her game even further if she controls her emotions in those moments.