(Radio Iowa) – The Hoosier State is now banking on its own Caitlin Clark Effect, as the Indiana Fever is expected to pick the University of Iowa star basketball player during Monday’s W-N-B-A draft. Cathy DuBois, dean of the College of Business at Ball State University in Muncie, says Clark is an absolute national phenomenon and the sky’s the limit for the West Des Moines native, wherever she goes.

A Ball State study predicts Clark’s addition to the Fever roster will bring another 12-hundred fans to each game in the upcoming season, many of whom will be coming from outside the region. That means plenty of dollars spent in hotels, restaurants, and other entertainment venues during their stay.

Clark led the Hawkeyes to two consecutive national championship games, including the match with South Carolina this past Sunday which set a record for television viewers.

Clark’s number, 22, was retired during a celebration on Wednesday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on the U-I campus, after a season during which she racked up a long series of awards and national records.

Caitlin Clark signs autographs (UI photo by Tim Schoon)

With the new countrywide focus on women’s basketball, DuBois predicts the entire professional league will benefit as Clark joins its ranks.

Another study done in part at Ball State found more than 162-thousand media stories featured Clark during the N-C-double-A tournament, resulting in 177-billion media impressions valued at more than 2-point-6 billion dollars.