(SNH) — When I first had the chance to meet Caitlin Clark, she had just burst onto the scene after her sophomore campaign with the Iowa Hawkeyes.

People started to see what she could be.

It was at the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend in Iowa when Clark met up with fans at a kids zone. She signed autographs, took pictures with those who showed up to see her and even threw up some shots on a roll-away basket.

As the social media host of the weekend, we played a game of P-I-G. I figured she’d cash three shots and call it a day, but this old man caught fire with shots from all over the parking lot, leaving her to wonder: “Who is this guy?”

Now of course, I am not a better basketball player than the second leading women’s scorer in NCAA basketball of all-time. I just got lucky. And there’s zero doubt in my mind that she wins that game 99 out of 100 times should there ever be a rematch (I’m waiting, Clark).

In all seriousness, what Clark has accomplished in her tenure at Iowa to this point -- surpassing former Ohio State great Kelsey Mitchell and Missouri State’s Jackie Stiles on Wednesday night to move to second all-time -- is history in the making. And if you haven’t been paying attention by now, you should be, as she is just 104 points away from overtaking the top spot in the record books.

Clark is more than just a superb hooper; she’s an icon. But it might be her impact off the floor that is really worth noting.

Clark gives back not only to her community in Iowa, but the entire sport of women’s basketball. The game is getting a much-deserved publicity boost because of Clark’s impact.

College women’s basketball doesn’t typically sell out it’s home games, unless she’s on her way. People showed up five hours before her history-making performance at Northwestern on Wednesday. People are watching Iowa basketball games on TV in record numbers. Her impact on the game is well-documented and while measurable in some cases, it is immeasurable to the millions of little girls who see her and think about how they might be able to do what she is doing.

Throughout her entire journey, Clark has remained humble and credits her teammates and coaches for all her success, even if it is she who is dropping 30-plus a game.

When Clark no doubt passes Kelsey Plum’s record in the coming weeks and builds upon it so that it may not be threatened again, take note of everything that’s also happening around the sport.

And know that what Clark could be is what she already is: a living and growing legend.

Justin Rose is a writer for Sports News Highlights.

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