Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark lost the NCAA championship to LSU on Sunday, however, she was the leading storyline throughout the tourney. She is a two-time All-American and the national player of the year. Clark is a bad m**** f****. But there has been a lot of talk that she’s the greatest college player ever and we need to stop the insanity now.
It’s mainly fans on Twitter crowning Clark as the GOAT.
But when hoops legends like Magic Johnson say Clark has done stuff that other legends have never done, despite being true, it helps fuel the fire.
What makes Caitlin’s 40-point triple-double so special is the fact so many player never had one, not me, Michael Jordan, or Larry Bird!— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) March 28, 2023
Sportswriter Jeff Pearlman, author of “Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s,” says Clark “will be the greatest women’s college basketball player of all time.
We harbor no ill will towards Clark. She is the best women’s college hooper in the country. Period. But are we going to pretend that legends like Cheryl Miller, Sheryl Swoopes, and Chamique Holdsclaw didn’t exist? How about Tamika Catchings, Maya Moore or Diana Taurasi?
Lest we not forget Breanna Stewart who won four consecutive NCAA titles during her time at UCONN, four-time NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player. Three-time consensus national player of the year, and three-time All-American.
Are You Entertained?
We get it. She shoots Steph Curry like threes, talks trash to her opponents, does the John Cena “can’t see me” celebration. She is an electric player and entertainer. This is exactly what the game needs.
“I think my teammates understand I am fiery, I am competitive, and I think that’s what they feed off of,” Clark said. “They’ve just had my back through it all. I’m lucky enough to have teammates like that that understand the competitor I am, and I think that’s what makes us who we are.”
But we don’t need to rush and crown every shiny new thing as the best ever. We can let it marinate for a second.
Clark and the Hawkeyes knocked off the No. 1 and undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks in the national semifinals and Gamecocks’ head coach Dawn Staley had nothing but praise for Clark.
“No, she was on point. I mean, she was everything that we saw on film,” Staley said following the game. “She was everything, like assists, points, turnovers, all of them. She ran the gamut of who she is as a player, and she threaded the needle.”
Early Coronation
Prior to Sunday’s title game LSU head coach Kim Mulkey found it hard to think of players that can do what Clark does.
“I don’t like to use the word ‘never,’ but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a player that can do what Caitlin does,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. “I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Gosh, she’s special.”
She is that and more. Heading into the championship game Clark was averaging 32.2 points, 10.4 assists and 5.8 rebounds in five tournament games. She’s an advanced stats darling too.
Not everyone is enamored by Clark. She has her share of “haters” on Twitter.
Clark should be allowed to turn pro but won’t be eligible for the WNBA draft until 2024. But that means she has another college season to dominate and add to her résumé. If she leads Iowa to another Final Four, is again named national player of the year and a first-team All-American we can begin to look historically at what she’s accomplished versus some of the other greats previously mentioned.
That would be a hell of a career and then we can debate greatest women’s college hoops player ever.
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