Basketball Hall of Famer and legendary Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma has ignited a debate among fans by offering his perspective on Caitlin Clark's popularity. In a recent appearance on Sirius/XM's Mad Dog Sports Radio, Auriemma compared Clark to his former star, Paige Bueckers, suggesting that circumstances, rather than solely on-court performance, propelled Clark to stardom.
Auriemma recalled Clark and Bueckers' freshman year in 2020-21, a season impacted by COVID-19. He noted that Bueckers won numerous awards that year, and in his view, should have been considered the face of women's basketball at the time. "No one mentioned Caitlin Clark as a freshman," Auriemma stated. "Through circumstances, Paige didn't play, she missed a whole year [due to injury], and Caitlin decided to start shooting from the logo and the place erupts."
He further elaborated that Clark's appeal grew due to her willingness to take and make unconventional, long-range shots, drawing parallels to Stephen Curry. "And it becomes a phenomenon, not because she was a better player than anyone who had come before," Auriemma said, "but because she was taking shots that people in their right mind wouldn't even take, much less make. She was doing something that no one had done before."
These comments have drawn sharp reactions from Clark's supporters, many of whom are unhappy with Auriemma's past decision not to recruit Clark, opting instead for Bueckers. Critics on social media platforms like X expressed frustration, with one user stating, "Dude whiffed on recruiting the best player 6 years ago and can’t get over it." Another commenter defended Clark's achievements, highlighting that she was the first player in women's college basketball history to lead the country in both scoring and assists.
Clark is currently averaging 21.9 points per game for the Indiana Fever, ranking third in the WNBA. Bueckers, playing for Dallas, is averaging 20.5 points per game. While Bueckers has a slight edge in 3-point shooting percentage (38.4% to Clark's 35.7%), Clark is making more 3-pointers per game (2.7 to 1.8).
This is not the first time Auriemma has weighed in on topics surrounding Clark. In a previous podcast appearance, he addressed the controversy over hard fouls on Clark, dismissing the notion that she was being targeted. He characterized the debate as an "exhausting culture war" unrelated to the game itself, stating, "A foul is a foul, right?"