Does Caitlin Clark need a national championship to be considered one of the all-time greats in women’s basketball? That’s been a popular question this week.
WNBA superstar Breanna Stewart told a reporter on Friday that she believes Clark needs a title to be in the GOAT conversation.
“Yeah, she does,” Stewart replied. “I think so. Because then you’ll look 10 years back and see all the records she’s broken and the points and stuff like that, but anybody knows your goal when you play college basketball is to win a national championship. So, you need one.”
South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley agrees with Stewart. On Saturday, she explained why she thinks Clark needs a championship to be the GOAT.
“Yeah, I was really good in college but never won a championship. You gotta win a championship,” Staley said. “You’ve got to win a championship. That’s me, personally. Like, I had a great career. But it’s always, did you win a championship?
“Went to the Final Four three times. We never won. I do think – I agree with Stewie when it comes to winning the championship. We’re going to talk about GOATs, I think she’s the GOAT, to be able to win four National Championships and to be MVP. I think she was MVP all four times. If Caitlin wins the championship, she’s pretty damn good, yeah, like, she’s a GOAT. I mean, she’s really damn good regardless. But winning the championship would seal the deal.”
Obviously, Staley doesn’t want Clark to capture that highly-coveted championship. Her program will face Iowa this Sunday in the final game of the 2023-24 season.
South Carolina is favored by 6.5 points over Iowa, and rightfully so. Staley’s squad hasn’t lost a game all season.
If Clark defeats South Carolina this weekend, her claim to GOAT status will be legitimate.