Was listening to a podcast this morning with a guy writing a book about Caitlin Clark (Howard Megdal).
Interesting relating the Caitlin Clark origin story to Iowa 6-on-6 basketball.
This isn't the first time women's basketball was popular. Apparently, women's high school basketball was wildy popular in Iowa from the 1920's to 1970's. They were apparently drawing 10-15,000 fans to girls high school basketball games decades before Title IX, when girls playing sports was unheard of in many states.
Anyway, they played 6-on-6 basketball, which I'd never heard of.
Each team has 3 guards and 3 forwards. They can't cross halfcourt.
So, the 3 guards only play defense (you know, guard) and then pass the ball to the forwards. Only the forwards can shoot/score. And in most variations, the forwards can only dribble 2 times before they shoot or pass.
Anyway, the point it's fast-paced with a lot of ball movement and long passes. Sound like anybody you know?
AFAIK, Clark never played 6-on-6, but all the people she learned basketball from did. Iowa's state girls HS basketball championship was still played with 6-on-6 rules in 1993. And it reaches back to 1920.
It's how Lisa Bluder grew up playing basketball. Probably Jen Jansen too, and certainly everybody Jansen learned to play from.
So, it makes sense that 100 years of rich Iowa women's basketball in that style has led to a wunderkind flinging 60 foot passes down the court and pushing the pace at a fever pitch.