South Carolina coach Dawn Staley hasn’t been shy about giving Caitlin Clark her due credit for elevating women’s college basketball and did again on Wednesday during a radio interview with 670 The Score in Chicago.
“I want women’s basketball to grow, and I’m not too shy about saying why it grows,” Staley said during the radio interview. “She’s made it grow over the past two years.”
Clark’s impact on the game has been well recorded over the past year as her on-court performances drew record viewers to the broadcasts, which included three straight record-setting telecasts during the NCAA Tournament that culminated with a whopping 18.7 million people tuning in for the national title game between Iowa and eventual champion South Carolina.
The explosion in popularity has led to a massive debate over Clark’s place in women’s college basketball history and what impact she had in the dramatic rise in popularity.
“We need to make sure that we’re telling the stories of our entire game, so sometimes you have to go against the masses to really cut down to say what’s happening in real-time,” Staley said. “Caitlin Clark is the sole reason why viewership has shot through the roof for our game. Sole reason. Sole reason and I think the decision-makers are following suit in making sure that other games are being played besides Caitlin Clark, because if you play Caitlin Clark, you’re going to run up against somebody you might find that’s pretty good.”
Part of Staley’s point was that Clark’s presence drew in fans who also could become fans of other players and teams they’re exposed to.
She pointed to the massive viewership numbers for the national title game getting a chance to see the stars that South Carolina has to offer.
Clark’s impact already has been felt at the pro level when she helped draw 2.4 million viewers to Monday’s WNBA draft when she was selected first overall by the Indiana Fever.