Caitlin Clark has been the subject of incessant debate since her entry into the WNBA. The rookie has split the basketball fraternity into two factions. One claims she’s solely responsible for the unprecedented spike in the interest in women’s basketball, and the other argues she isn’t the only marquee attraction. While fans, analysts, and even players have participated in the discourse, Clark has steered clear of it, and Iowa head coach Jan Jensen explained why.
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The 55-year-old, who was the Hawkeyes’ assistant head coach during the guard’s four-year stint at the program, claimed that the Indiana Fever star’s only focus in life is basketball. She said that Clark doesn’t indulge in the chatter about her and shares the same mentality as two of the greatest players ever. She said,
“That kid is good. She can pass it, and she makes you better. If you meet her and don’t judge her and kinda let it make sense to you, why her patience might come out or why she’s acting a certain way, you start to realize it has nothing to do with her greatness… She just wants to freaking win. And she believes to win, it has to be her way… Does that not sound like Kobe or Michael? I mean, the great ones are like that.”
"Does that not sound like Kobe or Michael? The great ones are like that."
New @IowaWBB HC Jan Jensen weighs in on Caitlin Clark's win mentality@TheFrankIsola | @Scalabrine | @goiowa | @SiriusXMSports pic.twitter.com/FRt3xZQ0ku
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) June 27, 2024
Clark was called out for disregarding and downplaying the online harassment her critics faced, which is eerily similar to Michael Jordan being scrutinized for not talking about societal issues and maintaining he was nothing more than a basketball player.
The Hawkeyes star is ironically the only one who refuses to participate in the discourse about her. She’s obsessed with winning and has been since middle school.
Caitlin Clark’s competitive fire has been prevalent since childhood
Clark’s insatiable desire to be the best has been the driving force behind her storied career so far. The guard has a raging competitive fire burning in her since childhood, and it even got her in trouble. She spoke about it during her appearance on Good Morning America, saying,
“All I wanted to do was win. No matter if it was a board game, a card game, I was going to do whatever it took to win. I got kicked out of PE class because I was too competitive.”
As Jansen explained, Clark’s competitive spirit and obsession with winning is a throwback to Michael Jordan’s near-maniacal fixation on wanting to be the best. While it may rub some people the wrong way, like the Chicago Bulls icon, the rookie is unconcerned about how she’s perceived as long as she wins.
