Over the past couple of years, Iowa Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark has taken the nation by storm as she has emerged as perhaps the most dominant women’s basketball player in history. But it doesn’t sound like legendary UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma agrees with that.
During his press conference following the team’s second-round win over the Syracuse Orange to advance to the Sweet 16, Geno Auriemma claimed that Huskies star Paige Bueckers – not Caitlin Clark – was the best player in all of college basketball.
“We have the best player in America,” Auriemma said according to SNY. “Just saying that because the numbers, in this world of analytics, say that she is. And the whole stat sheet says that she is. And everybody that watched knows it.”
"We have the best player in America. Just saying that because the numbers, in this world of analytics, say that she is. And the stat sheet says that she is. And everybody that watched knows it"
– Geno Auriemma on Paige Bueckers pic.twitter.com/xEoiXuEBQk
— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) March 26, 2024
Obviously, this is a pretty bold claim from Auriemma, especially given the historic season that Clark is having. As a result, these comments led to a lot of reactions on social media.
Lol UCONN just advanced to the Sweet 16 and all he can think about is Caitlin Clark. 😂
Paige Bueckers is not even half the player Caitlin Clark is. https://t.co/ilA9yd6Bg3
— Adam Stroller (@StrollerAdam) March 26, 2024
Women's tournament is spicy this year, elite 8/final 4 gonna be fun https://t.co/KXSBr2Phwo
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) March 26, 2024
Check this man for dementia or a brain worm or something. https://t.co/JAzROecVDE
— Yak, Rally. M.D., P.H.D., J.D, C.O.W. (@IowaRallyYak) March 26, 2024
She’s a close #2 https://t.co/K7S73V27RN
— jay📌 (@jayknowsball4) March 26, 2024
Interesting https://t.co/CKSz8Th5xj
— Bears Hoops and Aces – Matt Hill (@hoops83657) March 26, 2024
march madness heating up https://t.co/iMn7qKThKk
— WURM (@StillWurm) March 26, 2024
https://twitter.com/ZCrabtree15235/status/1772428597678022675?s=20
It’s worth noting that despite this claim from Auriemma, Clark has more points, assists, and rebounds than Bueckers. Clark also leads the nation in wins shares with 11.8 and has a higher player efficiency rating than Bueckers.
[SNY]
