Iowa star Caitlin Clark is putting the finishing touches on her legendary college basketball career. Dawn Staley, the head coach for her next competitor, South Carolina, thinks Clark is on the precipice of being the best women’s college basketball player of all time.
“If Caitlin wins the championship, she’s pretty damn good, yeah, like, she’s a GOAT,” Staley said, according to ESPN. “I mean, she’s really damn good regardless, but winning the championship would seal the deal. I hope to the dear Lord she doesn’t.”
“I was really good in college, never won a championship,” Staley, who played four seasons at Virginia, also said. “You’ve got to win a championship. That’s me personally. I had a great career, but it’s always, did you win a championship?”
Clark is averaging 31.7 points, 9.0 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game this season, while shooting 45.8/37.8/86.0. She scored a season-low 21 points in Iowa’s Final Four win over UConn on Friday night.
Clark was recently named the AP Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, while Staley was named the AP Coach of the Year for the second time. Staley is in her 16th season as South Carolina’s head coach, a tenure highlighted by two National Championships and 13 NCAA Tourament appearances.
Sunday’s championship game is a rematch of a Final Four battle between the Hawkeyes and Gamecocks last season, which saw Iowa come out victorious; Clark scored 41 points in the 77-73 win. Like last year, South Carolina enters the game undefeated. The Gamecocks are coming off a convincing, 78-59 win over North Carolina State in the Final Four.
The NCAA women’s national championship game is scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m. ET.
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