Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark surpassed Idaho Vandal Taylor Pierce’s NCAA single-season record for 3-pointers made on Feb. 28.
Clark hit eight 3-pointers to reach 156 total for the season to break Pierce’s previous record of 154 during Iowa’s dominant 108-60 victory over Minnesota. Days later, Clark became the all-time leading scorer for NCAA men’s and women’s basketball.
Pierce isn’t upset that Clark replaced her record. She said, if anything, it’s a compliment.
“It took the greatest college basketball player of all time to touch that record, and I think that is the coolest thing that I will ever be able to say. That’s beyond breaking the record in the first place,” Pierce said.
Pierce hit the record against Loyola Marymount University in her 2018-19 season at the University of Idaho. That season, which resulted in a Big Sky regular season title, was a culmination of an almost unbelievable four-year career. Pierce travelled from San Diego, California, to play at UI as a freshman. Initially, the rural Idaho town was nowhere on her radar, but Pierce stepped on campus and felt the Vandal pride immediately.
“I fell in love with Moscow,” Pierce said.
Pierce said she stopped looking at other schools because she knew UI was her home. Pierce, alongside Mikayla Ferenz, led the Vandals to a Big Sky conference title her freshman year, finishing the season 24-10 (13-5). Each subsequent year brought more wins, more accolades and more honors. But the work started way before the season, according to Drew Muscatell, Idaho’s current women’s basketball assistant head coach.
Muscatell was on the coaching staff during Pierce’s record-breaking season. He also coached with Pierce at UI for two years.
“Once the season got going, Taylor worked to keep her body fresh and stay sharp,” Muscatell said. “She put in countless hours in the summer so that she really only worked on refinement during the year.”
Pierce credits her ability to Jim Brogan, her shooting coach and mentor.
“He taught me to act like a professional no matter what level you are at,” Pierce said. “So, from the age of 12 when I started with him, he treated me like I was a professional basketball player.”
This standard led Pierce to develop rigid discipline—showing up early, staying late and putting in more work than anyone else.
“Confidence is built with repetition. You can’t be confident if you don’t put in the work,” Muscatell said. “Taylor put in the work. She was allowed to be that confident.”
Muscatell said the sheer determination, grit and confidence Pierce exuded was a product of her dedication as well as the team she was a part of. Muscatell recalled watching games where Pierce would miss her first six 3-point attempts just to make the next four in a row.
“If Taylor shot 10 threes in a game, you could expect that four were made,” Muscatell said.
Pierce finished the 2018-19 season with a three-point percentage of 39.6%. Iowa’s Clark is currently sitting at 39.3% for the 2023-24 season.
“I do believe that what Caitlin and Taylor accomplished in their careers should be acknowledged and celebrated. They both devoted so much time to their craft. They sacrificed a ton and worked extremely hard to be some of the best shooters to ever play the game,” UI women’s basketball Head Coach Carrie Eighmey said.
Muscatell said that the exposure players like Pierce and Clark bring to women’s basketball highlights the talent that some might overlook. He acknowledged that women’s basketball is “not a game played above the rim” like men’s. However, Clark and Pierce’s style of play is comparable to the Golden State Warriors Splash Brothers, according to Muscatell.
“You can easily compare Caitlin and Taylor to Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. At the end of the day, they have similar shot making ability,” Muscatell said.
“I think Caitlin, and other women’s basketball players, in the past and in recent years, have all impacted our game. Especially in the past few years, it seems as if women’s basketball has earned the respect of millions of sports fans across the country. Players like Caitlin draw people in and help bring exposure to our game,” Eighmey said.
Even with impressive records, NBA-comparisons and Vandal legacy all being attached to Pierce’s name, she still believes her success was a direct result of hard work, impeccable coaching and stellar teammates.
“It’s about the name I wore on my chest, not the name on my back,” Pierce said.
Muscatell echoed the same sentiment, saying that the impact Pierce had on Idaho basketball will last for years to come.
“She is one of the best players to ever play at Idaho,” Muscatell said. “I might not ever coach another Taylor Pierce.”
Muscatell said he brings Pierce’s “next shot” mentality into his coaching strategy. Witnessing Pierce’s level of confidence and pursuit of excellence motivates him to instill those values into current Idaho players.
“To see the level of play Taylor brought on a daily basis, I was just in awe,” Muscatell said.
Pierce closed out her time at Idaho with 154 made 3-pointers in a single season, the NCAA record for threes made per game in a season with 4.53 per game and became the fourth woman to record 400 threes in a career, reaching all these accolades in her senior season. None of these accomplishments compare to the lessons Pierce learned during her time in black and gold.
“It’s a fake it to you become it type of thing,” Pierce said. “If you walk and talk like the best, then one day you will be. That’s the biggest thing I learned as an athlete.”
Joanna Hayes can be reached at [email protected]