Dan Patrick calls Caitlin Clark 'the best shooter in college basketball

[iowaathletes]

More public praise of Caitlin - love it

Source USA Today Sports...

Bravo, Dan Patrick. It shouldn’t be a surprise that one of America’s top longtime sportscasters is a man of culture, but FOX Sports Radio’s Dan Patrick is a man of culture.

Speaking on his Friday “Dan Patrick Show” program, the subject of stars in college basketball came up. While Patrick and company may still be busy trying to figure out who the National Player of the Year is in men’s college basketball, it sounds like their minds are made up in women’s college basketball.

Patrick heaped some serious praise on Clark.

“If you get a chance or you haven’t gotten a chance and you want to watch the best shooter in college basketball, men or women, it’s Caitlin Clark. It is. Just watch her shoot, where she shoots from. She’s…there’s nobody like her. She’s a great passer,” Patrick said of Clark.

 

[slipHawk]

He can be a pretty salty dude so that’s high praise imo

 

[HFFL64]

It's her passing (also best in the country) that I think is her most important attribute! Without her passing Czinano wouldn't be anywhere near as efficient as she is, even though she's slipped all the way to #3.

 

[ChiPackHawk]

First of all, I am a fan of the women's team and CC. But if we are talking about a shooting comparison between the men and women, it is important to remember the women are shooting a smaller ball into the same size rim. That is an objective factor that has to be taken into consideration.

While I am quite sure this will be disagreed with by many, I might just take Kate Martin around 20 feet. I actually believe Clark is most effective with the mid range pull ups. She also is better with a hand in her face. But her 25 footers certainly draw the attention.

 

[packerHawk76]

I’ll be honest about Dan Patrick

The guy just does his homework & knows college basketball

 

[HerkysDad]

First of all, I am a fan of the women's team and CC. But if we are talking about a shooting comparison between the men and women, it is important to remember the women are shooting a smaller ball into the same size rim. That is an objective factor that has to be taken into consideration.

While I am quite sure this will be disagreed with by many, I might just take Kate Martin around 20 feet. I actually believe Clark is most effective with the mid range pull ups. She also is better with a hand in her face. But her 25 footers certainly draw the attention.

Perhaps we should also be taken into consideration that average male height is about 5” more than average female height.

 

[hawkjt]

Payton or Kris vs CC in horse...who ya got?

 

[ChiPackHawk]

Perhaps we should also be taken into consideration that average male height is about 5” more than average female height.

Caitlin Clark is 6ft tall. That has nothing to do with it. My basic point is an objective fact between the women and men's game.

 

[Mohawkeye]

Caitlin Clark is 6ft tall. That has nothing to do with it. My basic point is an objective fact between the women and men's game.

Has everything to do with it. It’s not just height, either. Women have smaller hands, which absolutely impacts shooting.

 

[jamesvanderwulf]

It's her passing (also best in the country) that I think is her most important attribute! Without her passing Czinano wouldn't be anywhere near as efficient as she is, even though she's slipped all the way to #3.

Her 5 turnover to 7.5 assist ratio is terrible. She's in love with the great pass vs. the higher % pass...

 

[ChiPackHawk]

Has everything to do with it. It’s not just height, either. Women have smaller hands, which absolutely impacts shooting.

Then you can't say she is the best shooter between men and women - you can make the argument she is the best in the women's game. They are shooting a smaller ball into the same size rim. Why is this so difficult to comprehend?

 

[fivecardstud14]

Her 5 turnover to 7.5 assist ratio is terrible. She's in love with the great pass vs. the higher % pass...

Lol. Nobody cares about assist to turnover ratio like the college bball fan. In their minds, Jose Calderon is the greatest point guard of all time.

 

[TheTruthTheWholeTruth]

I would put her more in the best scorer category instead of best shooter in women’s CBB.

 

[ChiPackHawk]

I would put her more in the best scorer category instead of best shooter in women’s CBB.

Absolutely correct.

 

[BrotherHawkeye]

Her 5 turnover to 7.5 assist ratio is terrible. She's in love with the great pass vs. the higher % pass...

I think that's partially true at times. I also think she moves at a speed the other players don't and that leads to turnovers. Should she recognize that, and adjust? Perhaps, but on balance I'd prefer she keep moving at her pace, even if it means some turnovers that could otherwise be avoided.

 

[Bishop1971]

She has certainly improved on the turnovers this year. Not nearly as many silly to's. Also her defense is much improved.

 

[ChiPackHawk]

She has certainly improved on the turnovers this year. Not nearly as many silly to's. Also her defense is much improved.

She does sometimes play out of control but I like how much she pushes the pace. She also sees things others don't and that can lead to what looks like a bad pass.

 

[Mohawkeye]

Then you can't say she is the best shooter between men and women - you can make the argument she is the best in the women's game. They are shooting a smaller ball into the same size rim. Why is this so difficult to comprehend?

I don't disagree with you, but you only tell half the story. Its not just the size of the ball that makes the two difficult to compare. Ball size is an advantage for women. Their height and hand size is a disadvantage.

 

[HoustonREDHawk]

Hard to compare men vs women in almost any sport. There is no clear choice for who the best men's college BB player is this year. It is absolutely clear who the best women's player is.

 

[ChiPackHawk]

I don't disagree with you, but you only tell half the story. Its not just the size of the ball that makes the two difficult to compare. Ball size is an advantage for women. Their height and hand size is a disadvantage.

That's not what my initial comment was about - it was all whether or not she is THE best shooter between both men and women. I pointed out an objective fact. Everything else can be considered subjective how it affects shooting, but anytime you compare you have to look at what is objective first. If you are going to say she is at a disadvantage with anything because she is a woman, then you can't compare this skill to a man. If a bullseye was larger for one rifle shooter over another, would having the same amount of bullseyes be comparable?

And let's be realistic here, height is irrelevant to a shooter. There are great one's both short and tall. Being a few inches or more closer to the basket as being important is just silly. You might as well say who has a higher vertical with their jump shot is then at more of an advantage. The "smaller hands" issue was taken care of with the smaller ball. But remember, the size of the basket doesn't change.

 

[BrotherHawkeye]

That's not what my initial comment was about - it was all whether or not she is THE best shooter between both men and women. I pointed out an objective fact. Everything else can be considered subjective how it affects shooting, but anytime you compare you have to look at what is objective first. If you are going to say she is at a disadvantage with anything because she is a woman, then you can't compare this skill to a man. If a bullseye was larger for one rifle shooter over another, would having the same amount of bullseyes be comparable?

And let's be realistic here, height is irrelevant to a shooter. There are great one's both short and tall. Being a few inches or more closer to the basket as being important is just silly. You might as well say who has a higher vertical with their jump shot is then at more of an advantage. The "smaller hands" issue was taken care of with the smaller ball. But remember, the size of the basket doesn't change.

They should let the men play with the smaller ball in an exhibition game, and not tell them. As much as they play, they'd probably notice right away regardless. It would be interesting to get their reaction.

 

[Fan In Black]

she's the best player in the women's game. it's criminal she hasn't won POTY.

 

[TheGuy9]

Patrick is an idiot. A quick search of the NCAA stats pages shows that there are over 240 men and women with better FG percentages than Clark and 145 who have a better 3 point percentage than her. The players listed are not the shot the ball 3 times and made 2 shots. There are minimum attempts necessary to be listed. For instance both Connor and Payton are both shooting over 90% from the line but neither have enough atempts to be included.
So, Patrick is playing the hype game because he doesn't want to be left behind. There is no evidence to support his statement.

Interesting enough. She had better percentages as a freshman than she does this year.

 

[BrotherHawkeye]

Patrick is an idiot. A quick search of the NCAA stats pages shows that there are over 240 men and women with better FG percentages than Clark and 145 who have a better 3 point percentage than her. The players listed are not the shot the ball 3 times and made 2 shots. There are minimum attempts necessary to be listed. For instance both Connor and Payton are both shooting over 90% from the line but neither have enough atempts to be included.
So, Patrick is playing the hype game because he doesn't want to be left behind. There is no evidence to support his statement.

Interesting enough. She had better percentages as a freshman than she does this year.

She was mostly an unknown as a freshman. Now, she’s a target and getting her shot off is more difficult. Not surprising her percentage has gone down. At least that is one explanation.

 

[Legend12]

She was mostly an unknown as a freshman. .

Not. Even. Close.

 

[BrotherHawkeye]

Not. Even. Close.

I like how you put periods after every word. Pretty. Cool.

 

[Bishop1971]

I think everyone is comfortable saying she's the best player and going to be npoty. Putting 42 on Maryland was something special. That was Maryland I'm remembering from like a week ago, right?

 

[kceasthawk]

Caitlin Clark is 6ft tall. That has nothing to do with it. My basic point is an objective fact between the women and men's game.

They also have smaller hands, so using the same ball would be an issue control wise. I like DP by the way, but I'd disagree that Clark is the "best shooter", certainly at least % wise, she's not. She's the most dynamic player, (womens especially, maybe both genders), and the most well rounded offensively. She has that "IT", and has raised the interest in womans basketball tremendously. She is seasoned beyond her years. She's been a key cog on three junior world championship teams, so she's been tested by the best players around the globe.

 

[kceasthawk]

She was mostly an unknown as a freshman. Now, she’s a target and getting her shot off is more difficult. Not surprising her percentage has gone down. At least that is one explanation.

Not correct. She was one of the most highly recruited players in high school basketball, and a key player on THREE junior world championships 15U, 16U and 17U gold metalists. She was a Mcdonalds AA and the 4th rated player in her class. Everyone on the womans game was well aware of Miss Clark. Its only we who are late to the party on the womens game who were not aware. I believe that her three point % is also several points higher this year over last, so thats not correct either.....

 

[Mohawkeye]

That's not what my initial comment was about - it was all whether or not she is THE best shooter between both men and women. I pointed out an objective fact. Everything else can be considered subjective how it affects shooting, but anytime you compare you have to look at what is objective first. If you are going to say she is at a disadvantage with anything because she is a woman, then you can't compare this skill to a man. If a bullseye was larger for one rifle shooter over another, would having the same amount of bullseyes be comparable?

And let's be realistic here, height is irrelevant to a shooter. There are great one's both short and tall. Being a few inches or more closer to the basket as being important is just silly. You might as well say who has a higher vertical with their jump shot is then at more of an advantage. The "smaller hands" issue was taken care of with the smaller ball. But remember, the size of the basket doesn't change.

We’re not going to agree, your initial comment ignored the issues I pointed out. Nothing subjective about height, size of the hands and length of the arms.

And height is absolutely relevant to shooting. The lower you shoot from, the more difficult the angle of the ball as it comes down. You don’t see too many great shooters below six foot. The shorter length in the arms also starts to adversely affect the form of the shot.

 

[kceasthawk]

Patrick is an idiot. A quick search of the NCAA stats pages shows that there are over 240 men and women with better FG percentages than Clark and 145 who have a better 3 point percentage than her. The players listed are not the shot the ball 3 times and made 2 shots. There are minimum attempts necessary to be listed. For instance both Connor and Payton are both shooting over 90% from the line but neither have enough atempts to be included.
So, Patrick is playing the hype game because he doesn't want to be left behind. There is no evidence to support his statement.

Interesting enough. She had better percentages as a freshman than she does this year.

I think the reach was saying she's the best "shooter" since then were going to throw % in there as the number one argument. Hell, Kent MacCausland may have been the "best shooter" if were purely talking % that I've ever seen. Over 52% in volume threes his last year. But its not like he was a must see dynamic player that can control a game like Clark can. Probably better for him to say that she's the most impactful college player in the game today....

 

[DBQ Hawk]

Caitlin IS the best shooter in college BB. It's not just % made--it's the defenses in her face, the difficulty of her shots, her ability to create points from literally any spot within 30 ft of the basket. Otherwise, are we just supposed to anoint some post player who makes 70% of the shots the "best shooter", when all their shots are from <10 feet?

No. That would be ridiculous. Caitlin is like Pete Maravich out there, creating points all over the place, in a million different ways

 

[BrotherHawkeye]

Not correct. She was one of the most highly recruited players in high school basketball, and a key player on THREE junior world championships 15U, 16U and 17U gold metalists. She was a Mcdonalds AA and the 4th rated player in her class. Everyone on the womans game was well aware of Miss Clark. Its only we who are late to the party on the womens game who were not aware. I believe that her three point % is also several points higher this year over last, so thats not correct either.....

Yes she was known. Probably the wrong word choice. Maybe the full force of her talent at the college level wasn’t fully appreciated yet. But that’s a lot more typing than “known”. 😊

 

[ChiPackHawk]

We’re not going to agree, your initial comment ignored the issues I pointed out. Nothing subjective about height, size of the hands and length of the arms.

And height is absolutely relevant to shooting. The lower you shoot from, the more difficult the angle of the ball as it comes down. You don’t see too many great shooters below six foot. The shorter length in the arms also starts to adversely affect the form of the shot.

How could my initial comment ignore your issues when it was made before yours? How many great shooters can you name over 6’10? And I’m talking great - not someone who can hit the occasional three. Now do under 6’6. It won’t be close. You argument about arm length - come on.