After Monday night’s game in the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA women’s basketball championship, LSU head coach Kim Mulkey had a humorous conversation with standout guard Caitlin Clark of the University of Iowa.
Mulkey was seen hugging her in the handshake line after Clark scored 41 points, dished out 12 assists, and pulled down seven rebounds in the Hawkeyes’ 94-87 victory:
Mulkey spoke with reporters about her post-game interaction with Clark (which starts at the 12-minute point of the video), and she shared her rather sardonic remarks to the probable first overall choice in the 2024 WNBA draft: “How did I address her? “I sure am glad you leaving,” I murmured. “Girl, you something else,” I remarked. Never seen anything comparable to that.
The seasoned mentor also talked about how hard it is to stop Clark and how she improves everyone around her, stating (via Zac Al-Khateeb of the Des Moines Register):
“The strategy [in defending Clark] isn’t really complex. You must keep an eye on her. It appears that no one else can keep an eye on her. When we defeated them the previous year, we didn’t even guard her. She simply elevates everyone in her vicinity and is a generational player. That’s what outstanding people do.
“I believe they had a player, Kate Martin, who finished with 18 points and 12 assists. By alone, Caitlin Clark isn’t going to defeat you. She gains points and those other colleagues gain points from the work she undertakes to improve them.
