If the season ended today, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese would have South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley’s vote for 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year over Indiana Fever rookie point guard Caitlin Clark.
In an interview with TMZ Sports, Staley joked that the interviewer was attempting to put her in the sport’s crosshairs. Staley shared why Reese would have her vote over Clark today, though.
“Oh, so you’re going to try to put me in the controversy, right? Listen, they both are having great years. Don’t get me wrong. If I had to pick a Rookie of the Year at this time, today, it’s Angel. Not a doubt.
“I mean, what she’s been able to do with the double-doubles. But listen, the season is halfway through. And Caitlin is coming. Oh, oh, Caitlin is coming. If I had to pick today, it’s Angel, but over the course of (the remainder of the season)… I’ll say this, whatever team makes the playoffs, that’s our Rookie of the Year,” Staley said.
It’s been fun to watch both Clark and Reese throughout their two rookie seasons.
Reese’s WNBA record double-double streak just ended at 15 straight games after she finished with eight points and 16 rebounds. Reese is currently averaging 13.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game on the season while shooting 40.2% from the field and 75.7% from the free throw line.
Meanwhile, Clark is averaging 16.8 points, 7.8 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 40.3% from the field, 34.0% from 3-point range and 89.2% from the free throw line. Clark has tallied double-figure assists in each of the Fever’s past five games and in six of Indiana’s past seven.
As for what’s next in women’s college basketball, Staley said there’s still plenty of star power post-Clark, post-Reese and post-Kamilla Cardoso.
“The game isn’t going anywhere. The game has been great for a very long time. I think the decision makers and the people that pour the resources into our game decided to do that and it got decided to do it with a person like Caitlin Clark who deserved it.
“Now, there’s some stars now. I got one. I coach one. MiLaysia Fulwiley. You got JuJu (Watkins). JuJu’s balling. You got Hannah Hidalgo at Notre Dame. You have a lot of household names, young names that our game can sustain itself if you pour in the type of resources that you poured in over the past two years,” Staley said.
Staley hopes that decision makers and media entities will continue to pour the same type of attention and resources into women’s basketball.
“You have to, but I think women’s basketball is in a great place where not just that we’re in high demand, the people want to see. The people want to follow the stars of our game. They want to know what they’re doing. They want them to be on every time they play a game, so it ain’t on us.
“The talent’s there, the recognition is there, the demand is there. It’s time for the decision makers and the people who decide women’s basketball is going to be on national television,” Staley said.
Iowa should remain competitive post-Clark as well. The Hawkeyes return a nucleus of guards Sydney Affolter, Kylie Feuerbach and Taylor McCabe alongside bigs Hannah Stuelke and Addison O’Grady.
Plus, Iowa added the nation’s third-leading scorer last season in Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen to go along with a talented group of freshman signees.
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