“She had unbelievable technique”: WNBA standout Caitlin Clark’s high school coach admits to not having ‘seen a female soccer player’ like her

WNBA: SEP 25 Playoffs First Round Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun - Source: GettyCaitlin Clark’s high school coach admits to not having ‘seen a female soccer player’ like her (image credit: Getty)

The WNBA’s Rookie of the Year, Caitlin Clark, has lived up to her reputation. Before making it to the WNBA, Clark was a household name in college basketball, especially after she broke the NCAA record for the most points in college basketball history.

While we all know Caitlain Clark for her tremendous skills on the basketball court, she has tried her hand at other games including softball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, and golf.

When Clark was a teenager, John Sheridan was the executive director for Sporting Iowa and the youth coach. He commented on Clark’s soccer ability this week (via HawkCentral):

“I’ve been doing this for 23 years,” Sheridan said, “and I’ve not seen a female soccer player strike a ball like Caitlin. … There have been some better players, for sure. But in terms of ball-striking, she had unbelievable technique.”

Her father, Brent Clark also pitched in his opinion, trying to be as humble as he could:

“I’m not trying to brag about it, but I think she probably could have been the same sort of talent in soccer that she is in basketball,” said Caitlin Clark’s father in an interview with HawkCentral in April.

At the Dowling High Catholic School, Clark played soccer for two seasons. As a freshman, Caitlin Clark won the FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina with Team USA and only represented her school in six games in soccer.

In those six games, Clark scored 26 goals and became the only freshman to be named in the first-team all-state. JP Pearson, Dowling’s soccer coach was also full of praises for the Indiana Fever guard (via HawkCentral):

“She was D-I material in soccer, easily,” Pearson said. “She did have a way to go, but if she would have stayed in soccer and made that her No. 1 sport …”

When did Caitlin Clark quit soccer?

Caitlin Clark averaged 4.8 goals per game for Dowling. She also helped her school defeat Johnston 4-3 to reach the 2018 state tournament. By this time Clark had made a name for herself as one of the best junior high basketball players.

In the Class 3-A quarterfinals in 2018, Dowling was defeated 2-0 by the West Des Moines Valley, which marked Clark’s final competitive soccer game. However, her father believes that a lot of her aspects from soccer helped shape the basketball player she is.

WNBA: SEP 25 Playoffs First Round Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun - Source: GettyWNBA: SEP 25 Playoffs First Round Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun – Source: Getty

After being selected as the first pick by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA draft, Clark played 40 games in which she averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals for the Fever.

Would we have seen Clark at the same level if she chose to play soccer?