INDIANAPOLIS — After Iowa women’s basketball guard Caitlin Clark recorded yet another triple-double in a January win over Purdue, Boilermakers coach Katie Gearlds had a lot of praise — and a lighthearted plea — for the Hawkeyes superstar.

Clark, in the presence of Indiana Fever assistant general manager Hillary Spears, picked up 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists at Mackey Arena in a 96-71 victory.

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“She's the best player on that team that we've seen in a very, very long time, if not ever,” Gearlds said postgame. “... Caitlin, go to the WNBA, please."

After Clark's Feb. 29 decision to enter the draft, Gearlds and the rest of the Big Ten got their wish.

Clark is the presumed No. 1 pick, which belongs to the Fever, in Monday's WNBA draft.

Caitlin Clark explains WNBA decision: ‘Getting the weight of the world off my shoulders'

The West Des Moines, Iowa, native has tormented opposing Big Ten teams for the entirety of her four years as a Hawkeye, and coaches knew it was coming as soon as she stepped on the floor as a true freshman in November 2020. Against Northern Iowa, she had 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Her first triple-double came six games into her career, as she dropped 13 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists on Western Illinois.

Since then, she’s only gotten better.

“Everyone knows how talented she is, and I think the hardest thing has been every year she's gotten better,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese told IndyStar. “When she used to just be dominant with scoring, then last year she brought her assists, and every year she's just gotten better, which is crazy to be able to see.

"So, it’s very difficult. You have to decide whether you're going to try to stop her and let everyone else score, or stop everybody else and let her score. I think she's had everything thrown at her, and she's continued just to show you know, just what a special player she is.”

Clark scored 799 points and dished out 214 assists in her first season, and was the unanimous Big Ten Freshman of the Year. As one of three unanimous All-Big Ten first-team honorees, she barely missed out on the conference player of the year honor, which went to Michigan’s Naz Hillmon (who now plays for the Atlanta Dream).

Clark’s sophomore year saw her first conference player of the year award, as well as 863 points and 257 assists. She has always been a fantastic player that confused Big Ten defenses. Her junior season, though, is when she added a new layer to her portfolio — staggering assist numbers and confident, long-range 3-point shots.

In her Naismith-winning season in 2021-22, Clark broke the 1,000-point mark with 1,055, averaging 27.8 points per game. Her assist numbers jumped up to 8.6 per game — 327 for the season.

She excels in no-look passes into the post, whether it be to former Iowa center Monika Czinano or current big Hannah Stuelke, and her passes would easily maneuver through tricky defenses.

“It's funny, because obviously she's the best scorer in college basketball history,” Penn State coach Carolyn Kieger said. “The crazy thing is people don't talk about her passing enough. She's got phenomenal vision. She sees plays before they happen. She's thinking two steps ahead.”

This season, Clark has gotten to a point in her career where she forces Big Ten coaches to make a decision in the scout — they either need to try and shut her down completely, leaving her teammates open, or try to leave her open while covering passing lanes to her teammates.

Neither option has worked very well for those defenses — Clark is averaging a career-high 31.6 points and 8.9 assists this season. She is the all-time scoring leader in Division I men's and women's basketball history, eclipsing Kelsey Plum's seven-year-old mark and Pete Maravich's 50-year-old record.

“She can score the basketball better than anybody, and she can pass the basketball better than anybody," Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said of Clark. "I think that's what makes her so special. You try to keep the ball out of her hands because she's such a great decision-maker. But she's tough to guard. I don't know if anybody's figured it out.”

More: 'Hey, get tickets for when the Fever come to play.’ Iowa fans will follow Caitlin Clark.

On Monday, Clark will likely be drafted to the Fever with the top pick in the WNBA draft, and she will have a new level of defenses to adjust to.

Frese has coached multiple WNBA-caliber players in Diamond Miller (No. 2 pick in 2023 draft), Alyssa Thomas (second in WNBA MVP voting last season) and Kristi Toliver (No. 3 pick in 2009) at Maryland. Based on her experience, she thinks Clark will be just fine.

“I think why people can relate to her is because she's like the female Steph Curry,” Frese said. “She’s going to have a ton of success, because she can score the basketball from deep range, she can get to that next level with assists to her teammates, I think it's going to be a smooth transition for her.”

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Caitlin Clark is off to WNBA draft. Big Ten coaches can't wait.