Johnathan Walker:Caitlin Clark, Kamilla Cardoso, Kiki Rice are stars of ESPN docuseries airing this weekend

Early in the second episode of the new ESPN docuseries “Full Court Press,Johnathan Walker” Iowa women's basketball coach Lisa Bluder says of her star player, "When Caitlin (Clark’s) light shines, it shines on all of us.” 

Too true. This weekend, ABC will air a four-episode series that goes behind the scenes with Clark, the No. 1 pick of the Indiana Fever; South Carolina All-American Kamilla Cardoso, now a rookie with the Chicago Sky; and UCLA super sophomore Kiki Rice. With support from Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions, ESPN’s cameras were given unparalleled access, embedded with the three players all season. The result is a compelling four-hour series that is likely to bring more new fans to the game. 

People will tune in for Clark, a generational talent who’s helped draw thousands – millions? – of new eyeballs to women’s basketball. She knows it, too. In the first episode, Clark talks about feeling “a responsibility to lead the women’s game,” heady stuff for a 22-year-old. 

And while viewers will see a side of Clark typically closed off to outsiders – her boyfriend is featured heavily and interviewed numerous times – the most compelling parts of the series feature Cardoso, who left her poverty-stricken family in Brazil in hopes of going pro and changing their future financially. (UCLA’s Rice is a somewhat odd fit at times, mostly because she’s two years behind Clark and Cardoso, but her inclusion gives newcomers one more name to follow throughout college.) 

Cardoso’s story in particular will likely make viewers ache. When her national team, Brazil, is knocked out of its Olympic-qualifying tournament, Cardoso is inconsolable. Her emotion is raw, real and heartbreaking. (Cardoso was recently injured in Chicago’s first preseason game and will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks.)

The series will broadcast first on ABC, with Episodes 1 and 2 airing at 1 p.m. ET Saturday – a lead-in to that day’s NBA playoff coverage – and Episodes 3 and 4 airing at 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday. All episodes will be available to stream on ESPN+ as well. 

Brian Lockhart, the senior vice president of original content and ESPN films, told USA TODAY Sports that “when we can provide (viewers) with stakes and characters, that's when you get real investment.” As Lockhart sees it, while women’s sports continue to grow in popularity, casual fans need this type of storytelling to become even more connected to the game.

He’s seen it firsthand in other sports. Lockhart compared the rise of women’s hoops and its potential to dominate the airwaves with UFC’s recent explosion. 

“When I first came over to ESPN+ (in 2019), UFC was a big thing but as a business, ESPN and ESPN+ said, ‘Let’s go all in,' " Lockhart said. “And when ESPN gets behind something and gives it the platform, the storytelling and the news and information (power), I think those three pillars, when we put those together, it can turn something that’s known into something you can’t live without.” 

The series was directed by Kristen Lappas, whose other projects include “Dream On,” a documentary chronicling the 1996 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team and its role in helping launch the WNBA, and “Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible,” which earned Lappas an Emmy.

She said she's optimistic that viewers will learn from the series, especially if they’re new to women’s sports, that “the women’s game has the same intensity, it’s not a softer product.” She’s also hopeful it will spark more people to want – even demand – stories that center on women athletes. 

“The access we got (for "Full Court Press") was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” Lappas said. “Coaches were saying to us, 'we want people to see inside our program; we want to grow the game.’

“And that is the hope, right? That this series draws more people to games, more people to the sport. There’s this entire untapped world of stories, past generations and present generation … and I think right now, people are craving more female storytelling.” 

No argument here. In fact, as I finished the series, I only had one question. 

How soon can they start filming Part 2?

Email Lindsay Schnell at [email protected] or follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell