Caitlin Clark has made the prediction of renowned women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma for her debut WNBA season look foolish. Despite initial struggles with the Indiana Fever, the 22-year-old swiftly lived up to her first-draft pick status, securing all but one of the 67 votes for the Rookie of the Year award.
Moreover, she secured fourth place in the MVP voting, a result that Auriemma had previously criticised fans as “disrespectful and unknowledgeable” for predicting less than five months ago. He cast serious doubt over Clark’s ability to translate her college success to the WNBA stage.
In June, while appearing on the Dan Patrick Show, Auriemma claimed: “If you’re a college player, and a great college player like Caitlin was, the delusional fan base that follows her disrespected the WNBA players by saying she’s going to go in that league and tear it apart.
“There were actually odds, like she’s third or fourth in betting odds of being MVP in the WNBA. These people are so disrespectful and so unknowledgeable and so stupid that it gives women’s basketball a bad name. So, the kid was set up for failure right from the beginning.”
The esteemed 11-time NCAA Division I-winning coach expressed his doubts, agreeing with basketball icon Diana Taurasi’s stark warning that Clark was “in for a rude awakening”. Clark has since silenced her critics with her stellar performances serving as a resounding response.
At the time of Auriemma’s controversial remarks, the Fever, who have today (October 27) sacked coach Christie Sides, had suffered through seven losses in their first eight games. He argued: “This kid’s on the wrong team. She’s got the wrong skill set to handle the physicality in the league, and she’s a rookie.
“And if you’re a WNBA player, you’re gonna say, I’m gonna make a statement. Targeted by society, targeted by her looks, targeted by her reputation, and targeted by the disrespect they’ve shown to the WNBA, there’s a huge target on this kid’s back.
“This rookie class isn’t even one of the best rookie classes in the last 10 years. But they’ve been made out to be that because of the way social media is today. She’s just not built for the physicality of this league, and she’s not quick enough to get away from the physicality.”
Despite the initial setbacks, Clark and her squad rallied, securing a playoff spot as the No. 6 seed. Auriemma may still have to swallow his pride, but Clark has let her impressive play speak volumes – and what a retort it has been.
