By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

IOWA CITY — Caitlin Clark is playing her senior season at Iowa, but there’s still one year of eligibility remaining should she decide to use it.

It’s not a decision that she has to make right now, and Clark said during Wednesday’s media day she’s not even thinking about it at this point.

But when it comes time, the decision whether to stay for another season granted by the NCAA for playing in the 2020-21 COVID-19 pandemic season, or go to the WNBA where she likely would be the top pick in the draft, is not going to be about research or facts.

“Yeah, I guess the biggest thing for myself is just I’m going to go based off of my gut at the end of the day,” she said. “I think that’s the biggest thing I should trust is I’m going to know when I need to know if I want to stay or if I want to go, and I think it was very similar to my college decision.

“It feels weird, I feel like I’m in like the recruiting process in a way again, but to a lower extent.”

Clark could take that extra season and shatter all kinds of records. She has 2,717 points in her career, needing just 88 points to become Iowa’s all-time leading scorer. She should become the 14th NCAA Division I player to reach the 3,000-point mark, and she needs 810 points to pass Kelsey Plum as the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer.

“I mean, I knew I was probably going to have a chance to break (Plum’s record), but it’s not something I’m going to be, like, actively seeking out,” Clark said. “Obviously I’m sure our coaches will tell me if I’m at a game where I get close to that number, which would probably be one of our regular-season games or in conference tournament. But I think if I just continue to be the player I am and do the things I’ve always done, that will come.”

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said she isn’t going to try to influence Clark’s decision.

“I’m not worried about it,” she said. “If she comes back, obviously, I’d be thrilled if she comes back. 

“I want her to come back. Everybody wants her to come back. But it’s her choice. If she chooses to go on, we have a really good recruiting class coming in. I feel very confident. Yes, anybody would want to coach Caitlin Clark another year, obviously.”

Clark said she’s not going to agonize over the decision.

“I think the biggest thing is I’m just going to trust my gut,” she said. “I’m not going to do research on what’s better and all this stuff and find data. I’m just going to trust my gut and go with that.

“I think that’s the most telling thing, and that was the most telling thing for me in my recruiting process. I know there was a lot of really good options, but in my heart I wanted to be here and that’s why I selected this place. I think it’s going to be the same when I make the decision to stay here or leave.”

It is a subject that no doubt will come up all season, but Clark isn’t worried about it.

“I feel like it’s not something that that I think about every single day,” she said. “It’s not something that I let weigh on me. It’s like I’m focused on helping this team be the best team they can be, and when I know that decision, all of you will know.”

Photo: Iowa’s Caitlin Clark reacts during the Hawkeyes’ Big Ten Tournament run last season. (Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire)