On Sunday afternoon, Caitlin Clark officially passed legendary LSU Tigers superstar “Pistol” Pete Maravich to become the most prolific scorer in the history of NCAA Division I basketball – men’s or women’s. And while it’s tough to compare two players across men’s and women’s basketball who played in two different eras, there’s an argument to be made that Clark has been more dominant than Maravich was.
Shortly after breaking the longstanding record set by Pete Maravich in 1970, many critics were quick to point out that Caitlin Clark played a full season more than Maravich. And with longer seasons, that means that Clark played nearly 50 more games before reaching the total than Maravich did in his career. Additionally, Clark has had the benefit of playing with a three-point line while Maravich did not.
But there is one major thing working in Clark’s favor in this comparison: the number of shot attempts.
While Clark did indeed play far more games throughout her career, Maravich took far more shots.
In his three-year career, Maravich averaged 38.1 shots per game while Clark has only averaged 19.9. Maravich nearly doubled Clark’s field goal attempts per game. Needless to say, Clark has been a far more efficient scorer than Maravich with a career field goal percentage of .465 to Maravich’s .438.
Additionally, Clark has better numbers outside of scoring, as well. Maravich averaged 6.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game throughout his career. Clark has easily topped those numbers, averaging 7.1 rebounds and 8.1 assists throughout her career.
So while Clark may have played more games than Maravich, it really does not matter when comparing their legacies because she has been a far more efficient scorer and a better all-around player.
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