Caitlin Clark has returned from exile, and boy! was it sweet to have her back, alive and well. After interminable weeks of absence due to an alleged back injury; after last season when she missed 33 of 42 regular season games with a groin injury; after all the brouhaha about the fist in her neck by Alyssa Thomas, and the response to it by the Fever and the WNBA, her return to play was the catalyst needed to get her team back in the win column. Plus it did absolutely everything to her millions of fans’ to restore faith in her ability.
But the win, as great as it was, required a record-setting performance from Clark, and her backcourt mate, Kelsey Mitchell, at just about the time I was beginning to think she was toast. I thought the “league,” and all it represents, had broken her spirit. I thought the Fever coaching staff (and the league) had created a toxic environment and were trying their hardest to destroy her confidence and make her doubt herself. I feared they had taken “the star” out of her by forcing her to play a style different than her usual game. Her coach seemed not to be on her side, and praised other team members for their play while Clark’s play got little notice.
Her shots weren’t falling, turnovers were mounting, and her whining to the refs had gotten out of control. She was behaving like a spoiled brat. Fans were losing their patience with her, and frustration was building fast. To rehab her injured back, the coach, Stephanie White, imposed a limit on the minutes she could play which had her in the game for 2-3 minutes each quarter, and sitting the rest of the time. That was counter productive because her brief playing stints never allowed her to get in the flow of the offense. Podcasters were calling for multiple heads to roll! “Fire Stephanie White!” “ Fire [WNBA Commissioner] Kathy Englebert,” “Trade Clark to the LA Sparks.”
All of that was erased from the slate Friday night when the Seattle Storm came to town! Someone flipped a switch and the old version of Caitlin Clark appeared on the court. A young woman who took control of the game from the start and carried her team to a hard-fought 3- point victory, 110-107. Her record-setting performance saw her get 10 assists on back cuts and over-the-top passes, and 45 points in 29 minutes of play. The record-setting 45 points included 6/10 3-pointers, 11/28 field goals, and 17/19 free throws; an absolutely dominant performance. It was thrilling. Gainbridge Fieldhouse was absolute bedlam!
Before the game, I was in a “CC funk” and decided to skip it. Later, Friday evening I saw a news flash that Clark had a record-setting performance so I watched the replay and was not disappointed. The amazing thing about it was she set those records in only 29 minutes of play.
The next night, the New York Liberty came to Indy, and Caitlin was her old self again but struggled with her shooting. In 26 minutes she had 17 points and 7 assists, but was only 2/8 from downtown. Her guardmate, Mitchell, poured in 33 points with 10/19 field goals and 4/6 from 3-point land.
My opinion of Caitlin Clark is she is a remarkable talent whose transition into professional ball has been thwarted by injury, cultural differences with opposing players, and a coach and team executives who haven’t used her talent correctly. Her talent is exceptional, but her defensive play is terrible, and she thinks she gets fouled more than she does. I get irked by her constant whining about foul calls and getting in referees’ faces. In technical fouls, she is tied for second place with six, and only Angel Reese, with seven, has more. To put her in the same sentence with Angel Reese is irksome to me.
Despite all these issues, Clark’s has been very good about not laying blame on others, especially her coach and team management. There’s a lot she could say, but as far as I know she has not pointed fingers except at herself. Hopefully, the Seattle and New York games were the start of an injury-free remainder of the season where she can play her own game. Fans want her to succeed because when she plays well, it is spectacular to watch.
