Geno Auremmia says Caitlin Clark is being ‘targeted’ in WNBA

Are Caitlin Clark’s fellow WNBA players unfairly targeting the star rookie, or is it just some necessary adversity directed towards one of the most hyped young players in the league’s history?

One of the most respected voices in women’s college basketball and the sport as a whole, longtime UConn head coach Geno Auremmia, is squarely in the former camp.

“Is she facing the rookie challenge, the rookie hardships that are inherent with being a rookie? Yes,” Auriemma told reporters Tuesday, via ESPN. “She’s also being targeted.”

The debate over how Clark’s opponents are treating her cranked up after Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter body-checked Clark to the ground late in the Indiana Fever’s 71-70 win over the Sky on Saturday, as teammates including Clark’s former college rival Angel Reese appeared to applaud from Chicago’s bench.

Some, including FS1’s Colin Cowherd and Chris Broussard and longtime NBA player Jamal Crawford, believe Clark is just going through necessary adversity that someone heralded as a star often endures, such as NBA legends like Michael Jordan and LeBron James in the early portions of their careers.

Auriemma addressed that line of thinking, saying that while he understands the argument, he believes the treatment of Clark has crossed a line.

“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 [Larry] Bird and Magic [Johnson] came in the league and elevated the NBA, them getting targeted and getting 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.”

The longtime UConn coach also opined that the hype following Clark slighted the WNBA in a Thursday appearance on the “Dan Patrick Show,” saying that she was “set up for failure right from the beginning.”

“The delusional fan base that follows her disrespected the WNBA players by saying [that] she’s going to go in that league and tear it apart,” Auriemma said. “If you’re a WNBA player — and believe me, I’ve coached the best — they were tremendously disrespected, and none of them are going to say it.”

Auremmia’s Huskies will again be favored to win their 12th national title in his tenure next season, as they once again figure to feature a loaded team led by returning star Paige Bueckers. Their season ended in the Final Four last year at the hands of an Iowa team led by Clark, who went on to lose to South Carolina in the national championship game.

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