Dawn Staley Shows True Character With Comment On Caitlin Clark originally appeared on The Spun.
Dawn Staley is showing her true character with a comment on Caitlin Clark and her fans.
The legendary South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball coach, who has led the program to three national championships, twice faced Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA Tournament. Clark and the Hawkeyes pulled off an upset in 2023, advancing to the national title game, where they lost to LSU. Then, in 2024, Clark and Co. fell to Staley’s Gamecocks in the national title game.It would be understandable if Staley wasn’t the biggest fan of Clark. However, that does not appear to be the case at all.
Staley appeared on Kylie Kelce’s “Not Gonna Lie” podcast this week. She opened up about her thoughts on Clark and the WNBA star’s fan base.Staley made it clear that she was – and is – a very big fan of the Indiana Fever superstar.
However, Staley made it clear that Clark is criticizable, too.
“Sheβs quite incredible, quite an anomaly when it comes to how many eyeballs sheβs bringing on the game,” Staley said. “And the newness of those eyeballs β they only want her to do well. Only want you to speak very highly of her. Only, you know, want you to agree with what they agree with. And thatβs kind of hard.”Staley said that it’s hard because, “weβre critics to everyone that plays the game. Weβre critics. It is part of the fabric of sports. Itβs part of athletics. Itβs the competition. Thatβs what we do.”
It’s not easy for someone like Staley to be so honest about Clark, given the discussions surrounding the Indiana Fever star. However, she made sure to let her feelings on Clark be known.
Staley understands just how dynamic Clark is, too.
“For me, the most dangerous thing of Caitlin Clark is her passing ability,” she said. “Her ability to make other people better, and her ability to have other peopleβs production along with her production. Thatβs how you win
Clark is as good of a shooter as women’s basketball has ever seen, but Staley thinks her passing is what makes her most dangerous
