Caitlin Clark just ended her collegiate career as the All-Time Leading NCAA Scorer. So it’s not surprising that she consistently figures in NCAAW GOAT discussions that have recently surfaced on basketball media. However, not everyone is sold on her being the greatest female hooper ever to do it in college. Rachel Nichols also belongs in this category. For her, the former Iowa Hawkeyes guard didn’t fulfill a major criterion to be considered as the greatest.
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On UNDISPUTED, Nichols highlighted how Caitlin Clark never won an NCAA championship despite two Finals appearances. She also touched upon the resume of Breanna Stewart who won four Championships and three Most Outstanding Player of the Year awards, the only one to do so. Meanwhile, she also plucked out Candace Parker’s stellar resume, who was the NCAA winner two times in her career.
The FS1 analyst also rated Cheryl Miller and Diana Taurasi ahead of Clark. In fact, she dubbed Clark as “one of the greats” instead of terming her as a GOAT. At the same time, Nichols recognized the WNBA-bound guard’s unprecedented impact on the women’s sports scene, calling Clark the “most influential player of all-time in women’s college basketball”.
“She is one of the greats, she is not the greatest of all time. The influence she has had on the women’s college basketball and women’s sports will be felt for a long time,” Nichols told Skip Bayless and Keyshawn Johnson.
For Nichols, had Clark won multiple NCAA titles, she’d have the claim to the NCAAW GOAT throne. However, the former ESPN analyst rightfully pointed out her impact on TV ratings and the increased interest in women’s hoops overall. While for Rachal Nichols she may not be the GOAT, the projected #1 WNBA draft pick sees things differently.
Caitlin Clark made her GOAT case
For Caitlin Clark, an athlete’s legacy can’t be measured solely on wins but on the impact they have on the hoops scene. Her comments flowed in after South Carolina Gamecocks HC Dawn Staley claimed that she needed to add a title to cement herself as the GOAT. The former Hawkeyes guard termed it an “unfair assessment”. An article by Bleacher Report’s Andrew Peters covered her comments ahead of the NCAA Finals.
“I don’t want my legacy to be, ‘Oh, Caitlin won X amount of games,’ or ‘Caitlin scored X amount of points.’ I hope it’s what I was able to do for the game of women’s basketball. I hope it is the young boys and young girls that are inspired to play this sport or dream to do whatever they want to do in their lives,” Clark said in a News Conference.
At any rate, Caitlin Clark has left behind an unparalleled legacy. She has helped bring women’s college hoops into the mainstream. Her ascension can bring in a stream of women’s hoopers who can sustain the trends set by the legendary hooper.
