WNBA is a step up from college, as Caitlin Clark is learning after scoring just 9 points in loss to Liberty
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) drives past New York Liberty forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (44) in the first half of a WNBA basketball game, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Credit: AP/Michael Conroy
INDIANAPOLIS — Learning curve? Yes, there’s going to be a learning curve.
It doesn’t matter that Caitlin Clark is the most recognizable athlete from Indianapolis since Peyton Manning, it’s going to take some time for her to get used to the new challenges being thrown at her both on and off the court in her new home.
After her WNBA debut Tuesday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut drew an ESPN record 2.1 million viewers, the Fever rookie returned to downtown Indianapolis to find a 150-foot foot banner with her likeness unfurled down the side of Hyatt Regency. On the day of her first game here Thursday, she was required to hold three news conferences — one after the team’s morning practice, one six hours later before the game and one after. The sellout crowd of 17,274 were the most fans ever to attend a Fever game.
While this is all some heady stuff to deal with, Clark's biggest and most immediate challenge has nothing to do with her new-found fame and all the demands on her time outside of basketball. Rather, she’s going to have to learn to how to take her game to the next level, specifically how to deal with the physicality and speed of the professional game.
Clark, I’m guessing, had one of her lowest-scoring games since elementary school, scoring nine points on 2-for-8 shooting in what ended up being a 102-66 Liberty win.
It was her second straight tough game. Clark had an uneven performance against Connecticut, scoring 20 points but turning the ball over 10 times.
“I think Caitlin is an amazing talent and she’s going to have a really great pro career,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “But college is really different than the pros. I think that’s the biggest adjustment. She’s got the skills, but how do you play learning all the new opponents and the physicality of the league? She’s mentally tough and she has a great future ahead of her.”
Clark averaged 28.4 points per game in her college career at Iowa, including 31.6 in her senior year. Her pursuit of the NCAA scoring record drew a record number of fans to the game, and ignited all kinds of debates about whether she was the GOAT.
Clark’s popularity led to a public outcry when several University of Connecticut alums gave honest but brutal assessments of her game during the NCAA Tournament.
“Reality is coming," Diana Taurasi, the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, said on SportsCenter in April. "There's levels to this thing and that's just life. We all went through it. . . . You look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds but you're going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.
“Not saying that it's not going to translate because when you're great at what do you're just going to get better. But there's going to be a transition period where you're going to have to give yourself some grace as a rookie."
The Liberty’s Breanna Stewart, who won four national championships with Connecticut, got caught up in the controversy when she had the audacity to say that she thought Clark had to win a national championship to be considered the GOAT.
Stewart, who led all scorers Thursday night with 31 points, said she believes it’s good for the women’s sport in general that people are debating about players and creating individual rivalries — something that has taken place in men’s sports for years.
“I think it sparks conversation,” Stewart said Thursday. “People have opinions and fans have their own opinions. The big thing about it is they’re talking about it. On the men’s side, you are talking positively and negatively about a whole bunch of people. Maybe it’s coming too quickly for some people in women’s sports. But that’s how you know there’s growth.”
Brondello believes anything that draws more eyes is good for the game.
Said Brondello: “I think it’s the whole momentum and movement we have right now, is pretty exciting. Caitlin, just the impact she’s had on this franchise and also on the WNBA, is exciting. We’re finally getting that recognition. We’ve had other great players. This time has finally come for us.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.