INDIANAPOLIS — When Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark announced she'd be entering into the WNBA draft, many Hoosiers began feeling more than excited.
They started feeling a little "Caitlin Clark Fever."
"I think she is just going to ignite our entire state," said Jannon Lampley, coach of the Lawrence Central High School Bears basketball team.
Clark is setting a new tone for women's basketball and the WNBA.
"When I played, we would be lucky to get a blurb on ESPN. And now our younger generation, they're phenomenal. They embrace any great brand of basketball," Lampley said.
More than two decades since the WNBA was founded in 1996, with powerhouses on the court like Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Rebecca Lobo, and Dawn Staley to name a few, appreciation for the sport is now exploding.
"Theres been a massive shift in interest. Where it comes from? I don't know, but I certainly appreciate it," Lampley said.
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According to the WNBA, numbers for the 2023 season went up across the board, from viewership, to attendance, even sports betting.
A recent report by StubHub found demand for women's basketball Final Four tickets on StubHub was higher than it was for men's basketball Final Four seats for the first time.
The Indiana Fever posted a link on social media to buy 2024 season tickets, saying, "hop on board" — and perhaps hold on for an exciting season with Clark on the floor.
"I embrace her with open arms. I've been excited since I heard the news, and we would love her to be a part of the Fever," said Mosi Barnes, athletic director at Lawrence Central High School.
Lampley said a generational shift could help propel the sport.
"There's a component of our market that we didn't have back then of the social media influencer, where they have control. Our young generation has control over whose at the top of that market and who's impactful, and they've certainly used their voice, and that's where I think a large part of this piece comes," Lampley said.
It's a piece, many hope, continues to multiply.
"It's a dying sport right now, so we need the Caitlin Clarks, we need the Aliyah Bostons. We need all those pieces together so that my girls, my children, my children's children will have an opportunity to play," Lampley said.
The WNBA draft is April 15.