Is Caitlin Clark being targeted? UConn’s Geno Auriemma thinks so

Much has been said this week about Caitlin Clark and the treatment that she has received since entering the WNBA. Some see it as par for the course for any rookie in any professional sport, but could it be that there is something more sinister at work?

Geno Auriemma doesn’t like how Caitlin Clark is being treated

You may have seen our previous report about last Saturday’s game between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky. It was a game that the Fever managed to win by the thinnest margins, ending 71-70. Yet, it wasn’t the tightness of the contest that made headlines, but rather the heavy hit that the Sky’s Chennedy Carter bestowed upon the Fever’s rookie sensation, Caitlin Clark. It was the latest, albeit most blatant example of what UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma believes is evidence that Clark is being “targeted” in her maiden season in the league.

“Is she facing the rookie challenge, the rookie hardships that are inherent with being a rookie? Yes,” Auriemma said on Wednesday. “She’s also being targeted.” To be clear, Carter’s third-quarter hip check which floored Clark was initially called an away-from-ball foul but was later upgraded to a flagrant foul after a WNBA review. She was later fined $1000 by the league for her actions. Indeed, so too was her teammate Angel Reese who was seen applauding her hit on Clark and then later declined to attend the post-game press conference - the reason for her fine - and something Auriemma referred to as “junior high stuff”. Reese herself would later claim that she has no problems embracing the “bad guy” role.

Amid the massive amounts of debate on social media, Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon tried to calm the storm, saying that “Chennedy got caught up in the heat of the moment in an effort to win the game. She and I have discussed what happened and that it was not appropriate, nor is it what we do or who we are.” Of course, that was in direct contrast to Carter’s own comments when she declared that she had “no regrets,” before seemingly downplaying the whole thing. “At the end of the day, it’s all love outside of basketball,” Carter said. “When we’re in those four lines, it’s smoke. After, it’s all love.”

Does Geno Auriemma have a point?

As stated before, most professional sports tend to be hard on rookies when they begin their careers. Call it a rite of passage if you will. On the other hand, it’s important to know when a line has been crossed. For her part, Clark has generally avoided speaking about the incident. For the season so far she’s averaged 15.6 points, 6.4 assists, and 5.1 rebounds which is decent, but it hasn’t helped the Fever’s cause as they are just 2-9 and coming off a heavy 104-68 loss to the New York Liberty on Sunday.

Now, be that as it may, Clark’s effect on the league since entering it has been phenomenal. Indeed, even before leaving the collegiate game, she had broken numerous records leading to a level of viewership that we’ve never seen before, something that has now extended to the WNBA which is enjoying record ratings. This brings us back to Auriemma’s view and interesting comparison to Michael Jordan and Larry Bird who he believes were not “targeted” when they entered the NBA in the same way that Clark has been.

“I don’t remember when Jordan came into the [NBA], guys looking to go out and beat him up,” Auriemma said. “I don’t remember when Bird and Magic came into the league and elevated the NBA, them getting targeted and beat up just because of who they were and the attention they were getting. ...Appreciate the fact that now’s the time [for the WNBA]. I get it. It’s long overdue. Why are you blaming that kid? It’s not her fault, because you would trade places with her in a minute, but you are not there. You’re not her. So you’re [complaining] that she’s getting what she’s getting.”