Caitlin Clark‘s storybook run with the Iowa Hawkeyes did not have the happy ending she might have dreamt of. The South Carolina Gamecocks crashed her farewell party in the NCAA National Championship Game by defeating her team 87-75 to win their third title. Clark finished her NCAA career as the all-time leading points scorer in Division I basketball and two Player of the Year awards, but couldn’t cap it off with a national title.
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Despite the loss, few can dispute her status as one of, if not the greatest women’s college basketball player. However, ESPN analyst Shannon Sharpe claimed on the Nightcap podcast that Clark could not be placed ahead of former UConn Huskies superstar Breanna Stewart in the all-time rankings, whom he considers the greatest. He said,
“[Cailtin Clark] is one of the GOATs, but she can’t be in front of Stewie (Breanna Stewart). In my estimation, the greatest women’s college basketball player is Breanna Stewart. Four titles, four [Most] Outstanding [Player] titles, three-time Player of the Year. Until somebody do that, don’t talk to me… You can be great, but not the greatest. Not empty-handed.”
Statistically, Clark is lapping Breanna Stewart. The Hawkeyes icon has over 400 points than her closest competitor and is third in assists behind Suzie McConnell and Andrea Nagy. However, as Sharpe pointed out, Stewart not only won the NCAA title in all four seasons with UConn but was also named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award each year.
However, the UConn Huskies are the most successful women’s college basketball program in NCAA history with 11 titles while Iowa has made it to the Final Four only thrice, twice with Clark leading the charge. There’s a massive talent disparity between Stewart and Clark’s teammates which is worth considering in their respective cases for the GOAT title.
Caitlin Clark is content with her college career
Caitlin Clark’s college career ended in bitter disappointment, as she couldn’t finish her story with a National Championship win. However, the Iowa Hawkeyes superstar has no hard feelings about how her glorious college career ended. In the post-game press conference, Clark told reporters,
“There’s not a regret in my mind of how things went. I’ll be able to sleep every night even though I never won a national championship. People aren’t going to remember every single win or every single loss.”
In addition to her exceptional talent, Clark’s terrific attitude is another reason everyone endears her. She’ll now prepare for the WNBA draft, where she’s expected to be the first overall pick. She also has a $5 million offer from rapper Ice Cube to play in the Big3 League, but all signs point to her heading to the WNBA’s Indiana Fever.
