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Last week, coach Kim Mulkey appeared to take thinly-veiled shot at Iowa Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark for being a selfish teammate compared to her LSU Tigers squad.
“Nobody’s taking 40 shots a game like you see across the country. We’re not that kind of team,” she said.
It was a pretty disingenuous statement by Mulkey considering her team has had the number one recruiting class two of the past three years, then went out and grabbed one of the best guards in the nation through the transfer portal in Hailey Van Lith. It’s pretty easy to spread the wealth with that kind of roster.
Making the statement even more inaccurate is the fact that despite leading the nation with 30.9 points per game, Caitlin Clark also leads the nation in assists (and is second in assists per game) and is averaging over 7 rebounds per game.
LSU, that superiorly unselfish team, doesn’t have a single player in the top 50.
Meanwhile, after dropping another 30-burger (along with 11 assists) in a 84–57 win over the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, Caitlin Clark was asked about dealing with all of the noise that follows her.
“I think I just worry about being in this moment, enjoying this moment,” Clark said. “The people that I really care about, the people that I really love, they always have my back, even when I take off my basketball shoes, take off my uniform and I’m done playing one day. Those are the people that are really going to matter to me.”
Caitlin Clark on dealing with the love/hate that comes with stardom: “That’s not something I worry about. I think I just worry about being in this moment, enjoying this moment. The people that I really care about, the people that I really love — they always have my back, even… pic.twitter.com/t72eJU6Vch
— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) January 14, 2024
“But yeah, that’s what kinda comes with it when you have the stardom,” she added. “I think something that I try to live by is like all the love that you feel, the praise, that’s the level you’re gonna feel all the hate, too. So you got to stay right in the middle.”
For the record, Caitlin Clark averages 22 shots per game, making 48% of them. She has also never taken 40 shots in a game. In fact, she has never taken 35 shots in a game.
Also, Iowa is 17-1, ranked number two in the nation, and teams have seen an average 144.8% spike in attendance when Iowa comes to town.