UConn’s Geno Auriemma Roasted For Caitlin Clarke Take That Has Aged Horribly
If you happen to be weirdly desperate to criticize the iconic and legendary UConn Huskies Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma, your only angle might be that Auriemma was wrong about Caitlin Clarke.
At least that’s something.
Clarke, a college basketball legend in her own right, has come into her own on the WNBA level as a star for the Indiana Fever. She is the leading Rookie of the Year candidate in the W and has the Fever in position for a playoff berth. In essence, Clarke has already fulfilled — perhaps even exceeded — all the hype.
While there are legions of Clarke fans who aren’t surprised by Caitlin’s WNBA success, Auriemma surely is. As Clarke got off to a slow start during her initial adjustment period to the pros, Auriemma made comments about Clarke’s struggles that have since aged poorly.
Nick Wright of Fox Sports 1’s First Things First recently roasted Auriemma for his ice-cold Clarke take, which Wright repeated on air for the viewers’ context.
“This kid’s on the wrong team,” Auriemma said about Clarke, per Wright. “She’s got the wrong skill set to handle the physicality in the league, and she’s a rookie. This rookie class isn’t even one of the best classes in the last 10 years. She’s just not built for the physicality of this league. She’s not quick enough to get away from the physicality.”
With virtually all of Auriemma’s characterizations of Clarke proving false, Wright took the opportunity to expose Auriemma’s loyalty to UConn as the reason for his error.
“Geno, just say you’re a UConn guy, and you thought this was going to be Paige, and instead it’s Caitlin,” Wright said.
Based on Wright’s analysis, it appears even Auriemma’s criticisms of Clarke might merely add to the coach’s positive legacy.
After all, who would fault a head coach for possessing blinding loyalty to his program and players?
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-6cddf44b9a81eadb9d1a4c19c1b3db49.jpeg "Colin Keane")
Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org