IOWA CITY, Iowa — LaBradford Smith is famous for something he never said.
After Smith’s strong performance against the Bulls, Michael Jordan fabricated an insult against the young guard as fuel for his next matchup.
Caitlin Clark doesn’t have to rely on her imagination.
At Sunday’s selection, West Virginia coach Mark Kellogg told his assembled family, friends and fans as they watched a potential second-round matchup against No. 1 Iowa State flash on the screen. I shouted at him.
“Let’s win one and then we’ll send Caitlin Clark packing.”
The clip has been viewed countless times and generated thousands of headlines.
Although Clark didn’t care about that comment — “He’s probably just being competitive,” she said — the Mountaineers’ first-year coach will opt for mulligan.
The zebra does not introduce itself by patting the lion on the shoulder.
“I’m not one to give a shit…I wasn’t trying to get Caitlin Clark. It’s not Mark Kellogg versus Caitlin Clark,” the coach said. “Someone else in the room was the one who used the ‘packing’ line to me, and it was like, ‘Well, guys, if you want to do something special, you’ve got to win one thing, and then you’ve got to send money. ‘ Caitlin Clark’s house.
“You know how social media works. The clips kept getting shorter and shorter and ended with Mark Kellogg calling out Caitlin Clark.”
The Iowa State superstar may have a different interpretation internally.
When fans from rival high schools shouted that she was “overrated,” she responded with 42 points.
When the Iowa State crowd did the same in December, Clark left a rivalry road game with 35 points and a win.
Kellogg’s players don’t feel his words are a burden.
They believe he could be a prophet.
“I’m definitely motivated,” West Virginia guard Jordan Harrison said. “I want a coach like that who doesn’t give in to anyone’s opinion. I’m just here to support him.
“I don’t think anyone in the NCAA wants to play us. … We want to make a statement and make history. They have all the pressure.”
