Is Caitlin Clark the GOAT? A national title would ‘seal the deal,’ Dawn Staley says
In college at Virginia, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley was an All-American point guard who willed the Cavaliers to three consecutive Final Fours from 1990-92.
But she never won it all.
That gives Staley a clear perspective on what it takes for a college basketball player to truly be considered great — or, specifically in regards to Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, who Staley’s No. 1 Gamecocks will face in Sunday’s national championship game, what it takes to be the greatest of all time.
“You’ve got to win a championship,” Staley said.
Throughout Clark’s dazzling senior season, there’s been an ongoing debate about whether or not the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer (3,921 points and counting) needs to win a national championship in order to be considered the sport’s GOAT.
Former UConn forward Breanna Stewart — who has a good argument for that GOAT title, given she won four consecutive national championships with the Huskies from 2013-16 — added some fuel to the debate when she told College Sports on Sirius XM that Clark needed to win a national title to be in consideration.
“Yeah, she does (need a title). I think so, “ Stewart told Sirius XM’s Nicole Auerbach, per the USA TODAY Network. “You are going to look 10 years back and you are going to see all the records that she has broken, points and stuff like that, but anybody knows your goal when you play college basketball is to win a national championship. So you need one.”
Staley was asked about that debate Saturday in her news conference ahead of the national championship and agreed with Stewart’s take, emphasizing how she herself was an excellent college player but never won a title.
“You’ve got to win a championship,” Staley said. “You’ve got to win a championship. That’s me personally. Like, I had a great career. But it’s always, ‘Did you win a championship?’ ... I agree with Stewy when it comes to winning the championship.”
“We’re going to talk about GOATs, I think she (Stewart) is the GOAT, to be able to win four national championships and to be MVP. I think she was MVP all four times.”
Stewart was indeed the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (MOP) in all four of UConn’s championship wins during her time at the school. She was also only the fourth freshman in NCAA history to earn the honor.
Clark, whose Iowa team lost to LSU in last year’s national title game, has broken numerous records this year, including the NCAA all-time women’s scoring mark and overall scoring mark. The presumed No. 1 overall pick of the WNBA Draft later this month, she has been named Naismith and AP Player of the Year in back-to-back years.
“If Caitlin wins the championship, she’s pretty damn good,” Staley said. “Yeah, like, she’s a GOAT. I mean, she’s really damn good regardless. But winning the championship would seal the deal.”
Then she paused and grinned.
“I hope to the dear Lord she doesn’t,” Staley said, drawing laughs from the room.
How to watch South Carolina WBB vs Iowa
- Who: No. 1 South Carolina (37-0) vs. No. 1 Iowa (34-4)
- When: 3 p.m. Sunday
- Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio
- TV: ABC
- Betting line: South Carolina by 6.5 points (Draft Kings)
This story was originally published April 6, 2024 at 8:29 AM with the headline "Is Caitlin Clark the GOAT? A national title would ‘seal the deal,’ Dawn Staley says."
