WNBA star Caitlin Clark showed off her incredible judicial insight by serving as executive producer of ESPN+’s new docuseries Full Court Press.
The Indiana Fever guard played an important role in creating the acclaimed women’s college basketball docu-series – from initial concept to final product.
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The four-part series, which premiered on ABC and ESPN+ on May 11 and 12, offers an in-depth look at the on and off-court lives of Clark, South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso and UCLA guard Kiki Rice.
Along with the three players, the Omaha Productions project also includes their teammates, coaches and family members.
Producers struck gold with Clark becoming one of the most famous and popular athletes in the country while filming the docuseries, in which she led Iowa to the national championship game before being selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft.
But what makes Clark’s role even more incredible is that she was deeply immersed in the project – both in front of the camera and behind it – during a life-changing season.
Read more about Caitlin Clark
“She reviewed every edit along the way. She had a point of view on the series about what important moments would follow,” Full Court Press executive producer Therese Andrews told The US Sun.
“So we worked closely to make sure the cameras were there for all of this.”
At the beginning of the project, Clark and the producers discussed in detail the structure and format of the docu-series to allow it to focus on basketball.
“Following her through the biggest season of her career to date, clip reviews and filming took place in real time throughout the season,” said Andrews.
“There is a limit to the amount of attention she is capable of giving.
“So the initial development about how the show should be structured, why the documentary is important to you, what you want us to cover was really critical for her.”
Omaha Productions founder Peyton Manning is credited with having the foresight to predict the sharp rise of women’s college basketball last year.
“It’s impossible to look at the sports landscape and think, ‘Who’s interesting for a multi-part series?’ There’s a lot of talent out there,” Andrews said.
“I’ll give a lot of credit for this to our internal development team. We spent a lot of time later [Netflix NFL series] Quarterback on what sport we want to focus on, how we want to do it, what’s the best point of view on this?
“Our internal development team spent a lot of time looking at this, talking to Peyton about strategy, and Peyton separately was really the driving force behind this.
“Peyton started talking to Caitlin quickly and the magic came very quickly.”
Clark, for her part, wanted her final season at Iowa to be documented, as she had a feeling it would be a seminal year for her — and women’s basketball as a whole.
“She recognized, as we did, that this was a really important moment for the sport in general, but also important for her as a springboard for what comes next,” Andrews said.
“She wanted an opportunity to capture that in a way that you just can’t through headlines and coverage and she wanted to really stand out as an individual.
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“She saw the Quarterback series and saw that we were able to facilitate stories with these athletes and…how that could be advantageous for her and she took action very quickly.”
Andrews believes viewers of the docuseries will gain new insight into Clark’s character and makeup.
“Part of what you learn from the show is that she has had a strong sense of self since she was young,” Andrews said.
“There is a very strong foundation of who she wants to be and not just on the court, but as a person.
“I think it was important for her to identify not only her story, but also to make her story a little more her own and surround herself with people she really trusted to facilitate that vision.”
‘INTIMATE’ MOMENTS
One of the most enlightening scenes is Clark and his boyfriend Connor McCaffery being filmed while having breakfast at The Dandy Lion in Iowa City.
It happened the day after Iowa’s 84-57 win over Indiana on Jan. 13.
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Clark and McCaffrey wanted to have a quiet meal at a restaurant, but they were surrounded by fans, showing how famous she has become in such a short time.
“There are moments in certain people’s lives and explaining them can only go so far,” Andrews said.
“You have to see and be integrated with the cameras as they were positioned for those private moments.
“There is an intimacy that cannot really be communicated between people.
“Everyone understands that she’s a superstar and everyone who has followed her in some way has seen this growth for her, but it’s hard to understand what the impact is on a deeper level until you’re able to witness it in the retelling of the season. In real time.”
Clark and McCaffrey are outside the restaurant waiting for a table when several fans talk to the Iowa star and ask for photos.
While she is eating, another fan approaches and says, “Good game,” before greeting her.
Clark’s smile quickly disappears after the fan walks away.
“That breakfast scene was one of my favorites as a step forward in understanding the simplicity of growing up as the hometown kid who now plays at Iowa and seeing this superstar in the middle of it,” says Andrews.
“It resonates not just in Iowa but also in New York, the impact she has on people and how they are to her.
“She’s in a different element than most athletes.”
SECOND SEASON PLANNED
Omaha Productions deliberately made the docuseries not just about Clark, but about two other women’s college basketball stars to highlight different schools and journeys to the WNBA.
Kiki Rice is the niece of US diplomat Susan Rice and was invited from a young age to watch former US President Barack Obama play basketball.
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His father and UCLA star brother played basketball at Yale, while his mother played tennis at the elite college.
Meanwhile, Kamilla Cardoso is a 6-foot-10 Brazilian center who left her family behind in 2016 at just 15 years old to pursue her dream of playing basketball in the USA.
“Through Caitlin, we can only see and understand the perspective that she has,” says Andrews.
“She is aware that her perspective is different from others.
“So you learn more in the series by seeing the international story of Kamilla Cardoso and what basketball means to her.
“And the same thing looking at Kiki Rice’s story – she comes from a very successful family and background and has a very prestigious school that she’s trying to compete at.
“I think for Caitlin and really for us it’s a much more complete story if you’re able to expand to different characters and get those points of view.
Caitlin Clark Fever
CAITLIN Clark’s impact was felt throughout the WNBA before she was even drafted.
The college superstar from Iowa went No. 1 overall to the Indiana Fever, a surprise to absolutely no one.
The Indiana Fever had 36 of their 40 games in the 2024 season scheduled for national TV – up from 22 last year.
Teams also moved their games against the Fever to larger arenas to meet extra ticket demand.
Clark helped the NCAA attract 18.9 million viewers to the women’s championship game, more than the 14.8 million who watched the men’s championship game.
She has also signed a contract with Nike worth more than $20 million.
“No matter how compelling a character is, it became important to view the season through multiple different lenses.”
Omaha Productions is already planning a second series of Full Court Press, with UConn star Paige Bueckers reportedly lined up, per Reception Sports.
“We certainly hope [we have a second season]We’ve already started discussions about this,” says Andrews.
“Even halfway through the season, we were thinking this show would be different than the others.
“While it is wonderful to be independent, it would be better if we could find a way to fulfill that.
“I think it was proven very quickly that three characters made a compelling story and we’re not done yet.”
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
