Caitlin Clark is NCAA Division I basketball's all-time leading scorer, finishing her career with 3,951 points over four seasons.
Now, she looks back and wonders why she wasn't better protected.
in TIME interview Clark, along with Sean Gregory, pointed out how high the world's basketball IQ is. WNBA than the women's game.
“Professional players and professional coaches are not disrespecting college women's basketball, but they are much smarter,” Clark said. “I love women's college basketball. But when I look back at how people protected me in college, it almost seems like a concern. They didn't double me. , it didn't trap me and it wasn't physical.”
Clark acknowledged that many of the players he played against did not continue their careers after college, and that basketball IQ played a role.
“Many of these women will never play in a basketball game in their lifetime,” Clark said. “They don't have the IQ to understand how the game works. So I totally get that. And it's not disrespectful at all. They don't have the IQ. For girls that age, it's simple.” ”
In his senior season, Clark averaged 32.1 points, 8.5 assists, and 7.3 rebounds, and recorded six triple-doubles. Her run in the 2024 tournament was punctuated by her 41 points and 12 assists in the Elite Eight win. LSU. In that match, she was primarily guarded by 5-foot-7-inch guard Haley Van Lith, who clearly had trouble keeping up with her.
At the time, many wondered why LSU didn't double-team her or put a more physical defender on her. The final result was a 94-87 victory for Iowa State.
Now, we know that Clark often wondered about opposing teams and coaches' lackluster plans as well.
Clark struggled early in his WNBA career, but quickly found his footing, averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. From the jump, she faced a level of physicality and defensive intensity she rarely experienced in college.
In a TIME interview with Gregory, she talked about the NCAA women's basketball game between USC and USC. Ole Miss It was perfect to play in the background.
“I feel like if I had gone out there, I literally would have had 50.” [points]” Clark said. “The college game is much easier than the pro game.”
