Whether you want to believe it or not, Caitlin Clark is quickly becoming the face of women's basketball and she hasn't even played a single minute in the WNBA yet. The Iowa superstar was on another level this season, breaking Pete Maravich's NCAA scoring record. By no surprise, she's continued that brilliance in March Madness, leading the Hawkeyes to the Final Four where they will face UConn after knocking off last year's winners LSU in the Elite Eight.
The entire sports world is taking notice of Clark's talent and the ones who know the game the best are extremely impressed with her. That includes legendary Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, who made an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show and revealed why he sees similarities in Clark and Stephen Curry and Magic Johnson.
Patrick asked Boeheim if he'd let Clark take the deep shots she takes if he was her coach. His answer was perfect:
“And further, and further back if she wants. She’s like Steph Curry, do you think Steve Kerr ever tells Steph Curry, hey Steph don’t take that shot, no.
“She’s the only one that I've seen other than Steph Curry that can do that, she's incredible. I've said this all year, she's the best player to watch play basketball other than Steph Curry in my mind. I mean I drove to Albany to see her I've never done that. You know the last time I drove someplace to see a player? Was Pete Maravich in the NIT, that was when I was 21, that was 50 years ago. So she's that good, you know she's just an amazing passer. Probably one of the most creative passers I've ever seen along with the Magic Johnson that type of passer.”
Caitlin Clark is a generational talent
The Indiana Fever will be taking Clark with the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft but first, she's looking to finish her college career with a national title. Clark is averaging a mind-boggling 32.3 points, 10 assists, and 7.3 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament. She dropped 41 against LSU on Monday and went 9 for 20 from long range. Clark consistently takes triples from Steph Curry territory. It's clear the Warriors star has had an impact on Clark's game.
But as Boeheim pointed out, Caitlin Clark is much more than just a scorer. She has ridiculous vision on the court and reads plays before they happen, as you can see by her assist numbers. Clark honestly doesn't have any weakness in her game and should adapt quite easily to the next level. It also speaks to the type of player she is because Boeheim never drives to see anyone play. Coincidentally enough, Pistol Pete was the last one.
Clark already has a ton of fans and her popularity is only going to grow more in the WNBA. We'll see if she can cap off her Iowa career with an NCAA Championship and ride into the sunset. Winning consistently probably won't happen at the next level for a while, so better enjoy it now.