Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has a couple of connections to the Bay Area. Oracle Park, where she took in a San Francisco Giants game on Wednesday, had long been on her bucket list. Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase was her assistant with Team USA last spring.

That would be Curry’s personal trainer, Brandon Payne.

“Obviously, I knew he worked with Steph and I love Steph’s game,” Clark said prior to the Fever’s game Thursday against the Valkyries.

“I was just looking for some creative ways to make myself better and challenge myself. I feel like he’s found a lot of ways to do that over the course of the offseason working together.”

Payne, who helped design Curry’s ballhandling routines and has helped Curry get stronger over the years, works on the whole game, and Clark praised him for that.

“Really challenging my mind,” she said. “It’s not like we’re just in there shooting shots. It’s as game-like as we can make it. That was something that I was really looking for, coming off an injury (last season). It’s really difficult to get those types of reps.

“Obviously you know what he’s been able to do with Steph and that gives you a lot of confidence in things that maybe he can bring to me.”

Payne, who is based in Charlotte, N.C., calls himself a “basketball scientist.” He has worked with Curry since 2011. Curry has said that he constantly gets new ideas and new plans of attack from Payne. 

Payne has spoken frequently with media members about his collaboration with the NBA superstar and how Curry has evolved through his legendary career. However, if Payne were to speak about Clark to the Chronicle, that required permission from her representation, which wasn’t granted.

But it’s clear that Clark, who is continuing to work with Payne during the season, thinks he’s made a difference for her.

“I’m really thankful for his time,” she said. “He’s poured a lot into me over the course of the offseason and gave me a different glimpse on the way to work out. 

“You get in these patterns of doing things your own way for however long … to get as many different ways to work out and if it really works for you and you continue to do it, you kind of stick with it. 

“I’ve loved it so far.”