Feared and loved, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is taking women’s basketball by storm
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I couldnt access that article without signing up and paying. What was the main point? That the tournament will be better with her in it doing her wizardry?
I just hope we dont get a repeat like the 2nd round game with Creighton where the refs just swallowed their whistles and let the jays just mug Clark and the hawks. That was brutal and infuriating to watch. You play great basketball all year with some suspect officiating here and there and then all of a sudden it becomes a football/wrestling match with mainly on one team playing that way.
I hope Clark and the hawks play great and get to the sweet 16 not only for us hawk fans but also so more fans can watch her. I meant the level of shooting in all ways, great passing, unsuspected great passes, rebounding, etc is just so fun to watch. And Martin and Marshall are very good players along with Monica's work which is amazing with her shooting both hands around the rim.
And I didnt mention dribbling about Clark as actually one of the plays she makes that I think is the best is when she starts accelerating about 75 feet from the basket, as she sees the alley way ahead of time, and she just pushes the ball out ahead of her and zooms past defenders. You can tell these other women are not used to that kind of dribbling speed or play against it very much.
I posted the whole article over at the Off Topic Forum:
Feared and loved, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is taking women’s basketball by storm
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/03/14/caitlin-clark-iowa-ncaa-tournament/
iowa.forums.rivals.com
Try this link. Great article.
It’s in the linked post.
“What makes me upset is that a men’s basketball player can act like that, and he’s just being a player,” Bluder said. “But if a women’s basketball player does the same things, oh, it should stop. I don’t know why we should be judged differently based on our sexes. I hope she changes some of these conversations.”
This is the most telling part. Those who are critics of her would celebrate that attitude if it were a man.
The WP article was terrific. Indeed, Caitlin is a generational talent which unfortunately spawns many detractors who are envious of her success. Some of the reader replies to the WP article state that SC's Aliyah Boston should be the player of the year. No offense against Boston but she has to be the country's most overrated player. A close look at her season's stat line certainly confirms that fact.
Unfortunately for Caitlin, Boston is the best player on the best team in the country and unless they somehow lay an egg in the tournament, she is almost a sure thing to win NPOY. Many of the people that vote for these awards don't even pay that much attention to what other players are doing, they have predetermined that Boston is the best.
You are probably right, and there is a general east coast bias from the national media as well. However, I like to think the national exposure she has gotten might break through that a bit this year. Boston might be the best player on the best team, but she doesn't take South Carolina from a National Title threat to a middle of the road, unlikely to even make the tournament team if she is not there. Would Iowa even break .500 without Caitlyn Clark? From what I saw from them when she wasn't playing during the season, that's doubtful (being generous there). Boston does not make the rest of her team orders of magnitude better by simply being out on the floor with them.
I think Caitlin will get npoy if Iowa makes a nice run in the tournament. On pti, my favorite sports show, Wilbon said only a couple of teams have a punchers chance at beating sc and Iowa was the first team he said. I would say not likely but it would be great. I really hope they make another nice run this year. With a sweet 16 and an elite 8 over the last handful of years Iowa is becoming a very respected program.
Boston is grossly overrated - just look at her stats: 13.4 ppg (not even top 75); 9.6 rebounds per game (30th); 1.8 assists per game (not even top 125); 2 blocks per game (very ordinary); two 3-pointer's (for the entire season). Seemingly her best qualification for NPOY is that she's a post player on a national championship team.
Caitlin reminds me of Jordan back in the day. A disruptive, generational talent who plays with confidence and a chip on her shoulder. She’s having the same kind of impact on viewers, albeit a smaller scale.
I agree. She's the female Jordan. She fills arenas wherever she goes and is a highlight reel every game. Does things nobody else does.
Aaliya Boston should be averaging 20 points and 20 rebounds per game with that body.
ESPN’s propaganda machine is way more difficult to defeat than any team the Hawks will face.
ESPN’s propaganda machine is way more difficult to defeat than any team the Hawks will face.
And to think, we may get two more years of her. If she doesn’t get npoty, it will just make that chip on her shoulder even bigger.
Exactly... Are opposing arenas filling to see Boston? A generational talent. I think she wins the player of the year.... Otherwise the award loses a ton of credibility an would hopefully be mocked by many.
Be honest now....opposing fans are NOT filling up their arenas to see #22 play, either. She puts butts in the seats but other than CH, arenas are NOT filled up when she comes to town. (Fuller than usual, I would grant you.)
Caitlin is one helluva player....but don’t sell Boston short. She is too.
Actually, opposing teams ARE putting butts in seats to see Clark. At Iowa's away games, attendance is 2300 people higher than that team's average home game this year. They've set wbb attendance records at 3-4 away games this year. Caitlin Clark = butts in the seats & money in the bank.
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Agreed....but she isn't "filling up" other arenas....that s originally what the poster said.....,What I like about #22 is she really "understands" the crowd (home and away) and plays to them..and that is GREAT for women's collegiate basketball.
Like Bluder said, IF Caitlan was a male, folks would love her (swagger) but as a female, folks nitpik and criticize her "shortcomings"........and guys, she doesn't have many of those.
That being said.....the Boston gal is one helluva player and if she wins POY, it too was deserved.
Not saying its not deserved, but the "give it to the best player on the best team " is crap. When the gal asked the panel on the selection show who should win the NPOTY, Lobo said Clark should win it, and then coach Peck just scoffed and said Boston should win it, like it was a forgone conclusion, and there shouldn't even be a discussion. Thats just laziness, and Peck has been there for the "Caitlan Clark experience", so she should be more informed...
If there were concrete criteria for POY there still would be debate, but it would be much more objective. As it stands, everyone who weighs in has their own definition of POY, so it's more difficult to agree/disagree with them.
It's a pretty subjective award...Who was the better college player...Magic or Bird?
They both are great players.
Per 40 minutes, Boston is averaging 20.5 points and 14.9 boards.
Per 40 minutes, Clark is averaging 31.8 points , 9.8 assists, and 8.8 boards.
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Boston is not "one helluva player". To the contrary, and nothing against her personally, but she's greatly overrated as born out by her stats. Not even in the top 75 in scoring and only 30th in rebounding doesn't qualify one has a POY candidate.
NY Times...
Kris Rhim, Bedel Saget, Marco Hernandez
Caitlin Clark’s long-distance shooting prowess has made her one of the most electrifying players in college basketball. The Iowa star scored 31 points in the Hawkeyes’ round-of-16 win over Colorado on Friday night; we tracked her well-balanced attack, which included long 3-pointers, layups and jumpers, from all over the floor.
Photographs and composite by Bedel Saget. Distances via CBB Analytics.
Clark is at her most lethal when shooting from far beyond the 3-point line, sometimes setting her feet just inside a halfcourt logo — as she did once on Friday night — and sending the ball over the outstretched arms of defenders.
Composite image by Marco Hernandez; Photographs by Bedel Saget. Distances via CBB Analytics.
Clark shot 11 of 22 from the field on Friday and 4 of 9 from 3-point range. She added eight assists and three rebounds and committed only four turnovers in Iowa’s 87-77 win.
Defenders hound Clark when she is close to the 3-point line — the arc is 22 feet 1¾ inches from the rim — so she often finds her best looks farther back. She has a better 3-point shooting percentage when attempting them 25 to 30 feet away from the rim than on her shots closer to the line, according to CBB Analytics.
Source: CBB Analytics
Clark has made 11 3-pointers in three games this tournament — from an average of 27 feet.
Her favorite time to shoot is when the game is in transition: off a rebound, a steal or even an inbound pass if she can quickly push the ball up the court. But on Friday night, she hit her four 3-pointers in halfcourt sets.
Iowa will play Louisville on Sunday night, with a trip to the Final Four on the line. There’s no doubt that Clark will be shooting from everywhere — so keep an eye out for another logo 3-pointer.
Caitlin Clark Can Score From Anywhere for Iowa
Kris Rhim, Bedel Saget, Marco Hernandez
Caitlin Clark’s long-distance shooting prowess has made her one of the most electrifying players in college basketball. The Iowa star scored 31 points in the Hawkeyes’ round-of-16 win over Colorado on Friday night; we tracked her well-balanced attack, which included long 3-pointers, layups and jumpers, from all over the floor.
Caitlin Clark’s first-half scoring vs. Colorado
Zoomable composite image showing Clark scoring from various locations on the court during the first half.Photographs and composite by Bedel Saget. Distances via CBB Analytics.
Clark is at her most lethal when shooting from far beyond the 3-point line, sometimes setting her feet just inside a halfcourt logo — as she did once on Friday night — and sending the ball over the outstretched arms of defenders.
Clark’s second-half scoring vs. Colorado
Zoomable composite image showing Clark scoring from various locations on the court during the second half. Shows her shooting her signature “logo” 3-pointer near half court.Composite image by Marco Hernandez; Photographs by Bedel Saget. Distances via CBB Analytics.
Clark shot 11 of 22 from the field on Friday and 4 of 9 from 3-point range. She added eight assists and three rebounds and committed only four turnovers in Iowa’s 87-77 win.
Defenders hound Clark when she is close to the 3-point line — the arc is 22 feet 1¾ inches from the rim — so she often finds her best looks farther back. She has a better 3-point shooting percentage when attempting them 25 to 30 feet away from the rim than on her shots closer to the line, according to CBB Analytics.
Dangerous From Deep
Caitlin Clark’s shooting statistics from various distances this season.
Table showing the distance from the rim of Caitlin Clark’s shots this season. It shows values for makes, attempts and field goal percentage.Source: CBB Analytics
Clark has made 11 3-pointers in three games this tournament — from an average of 27 feet.
Her favorite time to shoot is when the game is in transition: off a rebound, a steal or even an inbound pass if she can quickly push the ball up the court. But on Friday night, she hit her four 3-pointers in halfcourt sets.
Iowa will play Louisville on Sunday night, with a trip to the Final Four on the line. There’s no doubt that Clark will be shooting from everywhere — so keep an eye out for another logo 3-pointer.
