We would be lying if we didn’t say media coverage has been male-dominated, especially when it comes to basketball, until…the superstar rookie came along. A few commentators have even called Caitlin Clark’s arrival a moment of redemption for the WNBA, a chance to rewrite the media narrative that has, for way too long, brushed women’s basketball aside. But have you ever wondered why she’s become such a favorite so fast? Her game? Obviously. Her superstar aura? Of course. But you know what really seals the deal? It’s that underrated X factor.

The Indiana Fever star took center stage once again at Carver-Hawkeye Arena—her old stomping grounds—during a preseason matchup against the Brazilian National Team. ESPN’s lead WNBA team was right there to catch it all. Good thing, too, because what went down was signature Caitlin. With under a minute left in the third quarter, she casually pulled up from beyond her iconic “22” logo on the court, the same one etched there forever to honor her college legacy. And she drained it. Smooth. Effortless. Ridiculously deep.

“Here’s Clark. Wow,” ESPN play-by-play announcer Ryan Ruocco exclaimed as the ball sailed. “You bet! From beyond the logo! Then a little point [to CC] afterward,” he bellowed in classic Ruocco fashion. Yes, right after making the shot, Clark directed a point right at him. After the game, Clark was asked why she pointed towards the announcers, and she just brushed it off with her usual coolness, “No story, just my guy Ryan Ruocco. He’s the man. I like him. I’m sure he had a good ‘You bet!’ call, yeah.”

These are the exact kinds of moments Ruocco lives for. He’s been calling her games since her Iowa days, so he’s seen the entire arc. And for him, it’s not just about basketball. “I think one thing that’s been underrated in Caitlin’s ascent is, every time the audience seems to be invited in, Caitlin delivers. So they’re further hooked—she just continually delivers and almost overdelivers on the expectations that have been set for her.”

Honestly, that hits the nail right on the head. Whether it was the Elite Eight showdown where she dropped 41 points on LSU, or that electric championship game against South Carolina (18.7 million average viewers, by the way) where she still managed 30 despite the loss, Caitlin always shows up. She meets the hype. Even when the pressure was on, CC proved her mettle, winning Rookie of the Year while rewriting the record books. No wonder Ruocco said, “And I feel so lucky to get to be a part of documenting her career. It’s the coolest thing that I do right now in my professional life. I just have such a great appreciation for her.”  

He meant it from the bottom of his heart. How do we know? You know how they say actions speak louder than words? Let’s go back to that LSU game we just talked about for a second. That one had Ruocco reaching deep into his bag of tricks and lucky for us, that bag is massive. Every time Clark did something ridiculous (which was often), Ruocco was right there to match the energy.

When Clark launched a deep three to open the second half, Ruocco screamed his lungs out, “Clark… oh my! From Schenectady!” Moments later, when she hit another one from deep, he came right back with, “Clark steps back, fires… YOU BET!” But this isn’t just a broadcaster reacting. There’s also a real connection here. 

Ruocco has often talked about how he and Clark have built a relationship over the years. He called them both “basketball junkies,” and that’s honestly the best way to describe it. Caitlin texts him analysis, talks about how certain college players will translate to the W, and just talks about the game with him like they’re on the same wavelength. They’ve bonded over hoop talk.

It’s not unheard of. In the NBA, we’ve seen it plenty of times. Marv Albert was courtside for so many Michael Jordan moments. Like in the 1992 Finals, when Jordan hit his sixth three and gave the shrug, Marv was right there capturing the moment. The same goes for Mike Breen and Steph Curry. That iconic “Bang!”—and the rare “double Bang!”—became part of the Curry experience. Now, you can feel it already, the W’s got its first version of that kind of duo- Clark-Ruocco. 

Also, now that she is a media favorite, it’s not just the game footage or logo threes that go viral. Clark’s every press interaction now turns into a moment. One of them recently had nothing to do with what she said. This time, it was all in the reaction.

Caitlin Clark caught in a hilariously awkward press moment

Since the world has turned toward a remote work setup, we’ve all had that Zoom fail moment. You forget to mute your mic or camera, and it becomes the most embarrassing moment of your professional life. And considering most WNBA press conferences now include reporters joining in virtually, the chances of these moments creeping in are very high. Just ask Clark.

At one point during the Indiana Fever’s May 8 post-practice press conference, Clark was mid-interview, fielding a fashion-related question from Eliza Huber, a reporter from ‘Who What Wear’. She was struggling with the fashion question, but then another thing caught her attention.

Well… right before Eliza began her question, someone on the virtual press line (who clearly forgot to mute themselves) could very audibly be heard singing, “Elizaaa!” Clark’s reaction was priceless. She immediately raised her eyebrows and turned toward her teammate DeWanna Bonner, both of them with the same reaction while the actual question was being asked. 

A user on X, @clrkszn, didn’t let that moment slide. They posted the clip with the caption, “media guy was caught singing with his mic unmuted and caitlin’s reaction is so 😭😭😭.” Obviously, it had to go viral. Now, we don’t know if the mystery singing journalist was meant to be heard or not, but what we do know is that Caitlin found it hilarious.

She quickly gathered herself to respond professionally, but not before sharing a whole silent “Did you hear that?” moment with Bonner. They probably laughed about it later, or at least showed it to the rest of the squad.