South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team’s head coach Dawn Staley sent a clear message to Caitlin Clark’s fans. The Iowa Hawkeyes legend left a huge mark in college basketball, becoming the all-time scoring leader in Division I basketball, among other things.
Staley witnessed Clark’s evolution closely, and she was in the guard’s final college game ever, when she lost to her Gamecocks in the 2024 national championship game. Clark remains a hot topic around the basketball world now that she’s in the WNBA.
Her fans have become a polarizing topic for many, given how passionate they are about the 2024 No. 1 overall pick. Staley has paid attention to their behavior and sent a message to these fans who don’t want to hear anything remotely negative about CC.
Dawn Staley keeps Caitlin Clark’s fans in check
During a Thursday, June 19, appearance on Kylie Kelce’s “Not Gonna Lie” podcast, Staley pointed out that Clark’s fans are often unwilling to hear anything that doesn’t sound like praise about their player, clarifying that not everything Clark does on the court is positive.
Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina
“I think she’s quite an anomaly when it comes to how many eyeballs she’s bringing on the game — and new eyeballs,” Staley said. “The newness of those eyeballs only want her to do well. Only want you to speak very highly of her, only want you to agree with what they agree with. And that’s kind of hard when we are critics to everyone who plays the game. It’s a part of the fabric of sports. That’s what we do.”
This has become a big issue since the guard entered the league. While she’s great, Clark is still young and has a lot of room to improve her game.
