NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
At some point, the media and fans will have to hold Caitlin Clark accountable for her single shortcoming. Let’s be honest, she is one hell of a basketball player but she tends to fly under the radar when winning is concerned. No, her teams are not as loaded as those at LSU or South Carolina. However, the Hawkeyes have one of the best players in the county and have stayed ranked in the top 10 for the past three seasons.
What I’m getting at is that despite the lack of 5-star recruits surrounding Caitlin Clark, that team still manages to be labeled as one of the best in the country every year, and yet, they fall short. Clark gets all the accolades of a great leader and scorer but when will she back that up with a championship? It’s her time to show and prove.
Say whatever you want about Angel Reese, but she had a championship on her resume. And what’s more impressive about that title is that she won it with Clark on the opposing team last year. This year, Caitlin Clark became the NCAA leader in points scored for both men and women. So, what we’re saying is that it’s justifiable for her to make individual history but not team history? Jay Williams said it best…
I hear people talking about GOATS. For me, I’m like, ‘OK, you wanna be a GOAT. Fine. There’s level of greatness,’” Williams said. “You gotta win championships to be GOATs…. Let’s slow down.
He caught backlash for his comment but these are the same people who put Michael Jordan over LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. We measure greatness by championships. We always have and always will. But for some reason, this doesn’t apply to Clark.
With the tournament approaching, the question was asked “does she have to win?” the answer given was no because her team is not as stacked as the others. How does that make sense? They are one of 4 No.1 seeds in the Tournament but if they lose, it’s forgiven due to lack of talent surrounding her. However, many believe that USC with Freshman JuJu Watkins has a chance when she is just the West Coast version of Caitlin Clark. But the pressure is on her and Clark gets a pass.
All this week, we will hear how Iowa has a rough path to the National Championship Game. The games have not started and the media is already putting her behind a rock to hide. I’m not saying this is on Caitlin Clark. She’s a competitor and she wants to win. But at what point does the media throw her into the fire the same as they do everyone else?
Look at it this way. What the media hates about Reese, they love about Clark. She trash talks but she backs it up. Well, Reese loves to talk but she backed it up with a title. Imagine if LSU never won last season and how Reese would be criticized for her on-court antics. She can get away with some of it because she led them to a title. Clark, meanwhile is called a competitor for doing the same thing but doesn’t have the ring to stake claim.
Will Caitlin Clark Win A Championship
Last I checked, the Hawkeyes were in the Championship Game last season. So who says they can’t do it again? Is the media saying it was a fluke? Are they implying that Clark can’t lead them again? What is the truth? The truth is, the NCAA needs this. They need Clark to rise to the occasion and walk away a winner. With this being her last season, this would be the perfect cap to a remarkable collegiate career.
But if they do fall short, Caitlin Clark should be mentioned with the likes of Dawn Staley and The Fab 5. Great players led those teams but they weren’t great enough. Despite that, it didn’t take away from what they accomplished while in college. The results don’t change. If you’re labeled the best, then you have to win. It’s really that simple. How many people do we claim as the best to ever do it but have never won?
If Iowa wasn’t ranked and didn’t make the Tournament, would we be having this conversation? But the fact that they are highly ranked and made the Tournament, then this is a well-deserved topic. The greats before her were Sheryl Swoopes, Diana Taurasi, Chamique Holdsclaw, Candace Parker, Breanna Stewart, and Cheryl Miller. What they all have in common is a Championship. The only thing Clark has over them is points.
Sports debates will rage on forever regarding greatness. Is it about the number of wins, points, rebounds, or whatever? For most, it has always come down to championships. So why is she getting the pass? If I were recruiting for a school, Caitlin Clark would be one of my first visits. She’s a great player. Her college resume is damn near perfect. All she’s missing is a championship.
