Legendary UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma does not mince his words. And he believes the fan and media circus around WNBA rookie sensation Caitlin Clark is out of hand.
In an interview on The Dan Patrick Show on Thursday, Auriemma blamed social media and obsessive fans for burdening Clark with astronomical expectations and media backlash. From Pat McAfee slipping up in a rant about her on Monday to her own Iowa Hawkeyes fan base to aggressors on social media, Auriemma wants everyone to chill.
“The delusional fan base that follows her disrespected the WNBA players by saying she’s going to go into that league and tear it apart,” Auriemma said. “These people are so disrespectful and so unknowledgeable and so stupid that it gives women’s basketball a bad name.”
Auriemma also agreed with his former star Diana Taurasi, who warned that Clark would face a physical adjustment and learning curve in the pros during an ESPN broadcast of the Final Four this spring.
“Human nature is, this kid’s coming into the league, and Diana (Taurasi) said it best, this kid’s in for a rude awakening,” Auriemma said. “And they jumped all over her, but they didn’t read the whole thing she said.”
Auriemma believes Clark is a year or two away from dominating the WNBA based on her small frame and score-first approach. He was aghast discussing how sportsbooks show Clark as among the favorites for WNBA MVP due to betting action on her in the early days of the season. He understands why WNBA opponents are sending messages with hard fouls and trash talk, given the hype around Clark versus her output so far.
Still, Auriemma didn’t paint Clark as a victim.
“I think (Clark’s) handling it great. I think she talks a lot of s***, and she gets a lot of s*** back,” the coach said. “So she deserves everything she gets, because she gives it, too.”
Auriemma also referenced a recent quote from 2024 No. 2 overall pick Cameron Brink, who noted how this year’s WNBA rookie class was being held to an unfair standard of near-perfection due to the hype around their entry into the league.
“This rookie class isn’t even one of the best rookie classes in the last 10 years, but they’ve been made out to be that because of the way social media is today,” Auriemma said.
As a result of the chatter on social media and the increased scrutiny on women’s basketball, Auriemma expects his star point guard in Storrs, Paige Bueckers, will face a similar level of physical play and online hate. Bueckers is heading into her final season at UConn.
Auriemma also called out Pat McAfee, who used the first segment of his show on Monday to hype up Clark as a WNBA game-changer before calling her a “white b****” to illustrate his point. McAfee later apologized, but not before he kicked up a media circus around Clark and the league.
“This kid doesn’t deserve all this. Nobody deserves all this,” Auriemma concluded. “What gives someone the right to do that [call Clark a white b****]? There was years ago when someone made a comment on TV or radio, they lost their job the next day. But we live in a society today where you can say anything, do anything, and you apologize and it’s OK.”
As a 70-year-old man watching his sport change before his eyes, Auriemma is exhausted. But he also is not wrong to highlight how Clark was set up to fail because of hype she did not ask for, both from the media and from fans.
