I asked some people who are knowledgeable basketball fans and some people who are long time sports reporters if they would share their thoughts on this exciting year in the WNBA. I REALLY appreciate them taking their time to share their thoughts. I hope that some of you will share your thoughts in the comments at the end, and sign your name. Remember- keep things civil.
First up, is my brother Mark Massey. Mark was a long-time volleyball coach at Clinton, Iowa where is in not only the Clinton HS HOF but in the Iowa Volleyball HOF. Mark also actually at one time was a junior college men's basketball coach. For the record, even though he lives in Iowa, he is smart enough to remain a Badger fan.
I’ve never been a big Hawkeye fan, I liked Tom Davis and his teams, but somewhere a couple years ago became aware of Caitlin. This year I watched many of her games during the season, and almost all during the end of the season tournaments. I was just attracted to her ability to sort of play pure basketball: she didn’t overpower people with size or strength, but just pure, shooting ability, ability to find the open person, and playing with passion and energy.
I think I was, and I am realistic enough to know that she wouldn’t necessarily take the WNBA by storm. My expectations were, and still are that she’d be a strong candidate for rookie of the year and would gradually improve and adjust to the game.
I knew that there would be a level of adjustment and that the W would be much more physical. I know cheap shots happen all the time and that not every foul is called. I did not expect that Dremond Green type files, such as we saw the other day would just be treated with a shrug by so many. I’m old enough to remember the Bulls and Pistons, I don’t think Jordan accepted that?
It is very surprising and puzzling to me that for the most part the rest of the women’s basketball community has missed this with a major yawn. As many have pointed out, Caitlin is capable of trash talking with the best of them, and I don’t think she’s ever complained about anybody trash talking back. I didn’t and I don’t expect players or management on other teams to be cheering for her during games. I do think there should be some recognition whether they like it or not, many of the new fans are tuning in to watch Caitlyn and the Fever, they are not tuning in to watch Carter. Fans might be on social media to see what Angel is wearing off of the court or saying on Twitter, but I don’t think many or tuning to watch her play.
They don’t need to protect Clark from all contact, she certainly should not be subjected to over the top assault. I don’t know that I’ve ever watched a full WNBA game in my life until this year, Without Caitlin, I could probably return to that pattern very comfortably.
Having said all this, I do think some Caitlin and Hawkeye partisans are way over the top. Not every hard foul is trying to take Caitlin out. Not each possession that she doesn’t get the ball is a conspiracy. Unfortunately, there’s way too much talk that just sounds like the worst parents sticking up for their kids and trashing others. That’s why I think it would be healthy for some veterans in the league and on the Fever team to be more assertive and address this. Caitlin is not out boasting and bragging that she’s the best ever, she should be treated respectfully as someone who just wants to do her best and help her team get better.
The second opinion is from long-time Galesburg reporter, Jay Redfern. Jay has served the Galesburg community for decades, and now with loss of a local daily paper, his work is even more important. Jay was one of the top sports writers to ever cover Galesburg sports.
I am a casual fan, at best of the WNBA. But I am intrigued by the personalities of the league — the newcomers and the veterans.
I’ve literally only watched about 5 minutes of WNBA this season — the professional debut of Caitlin Clark. I was expecting, or at least hoping to see some of the buzz/excitement that made her “must watch” with the Hawkeyes, but I found I quickly found the vibe surrounding the Indiana Fever pretty depressing.
I didn’t get the Caitlin hate when she played for the Hawkeyes, and I don’t get it now. Most if not all of the jealously and anti-Clark sentiment is actually created by others, and not Caitlin. That includes the media, bloggers, fans, former and current players.
What has she done wrong? There are without a doubt a lot of other talented and interesting rookies who entered the WNBA this season. The buzz and hype is real. But I guarantee, it would be a fraction of what it is, without Caitlin. Other WNBA players, especially veterans, should be thrilled she’s in the league.
You really have to wonder if Caitlin Clark regrets making the move to the WNBA , and not going back to Iowa for another year? I don’t think it helped there was such a quick turnaround between the end of the NCAA season, the draft and then the start of the WNBA.
I’m sure the WNBA welcomes all the new eyes on its game, but how long will the hype/honeymoon last? Can it survive on the stories alone, or does it need a good product?
The third opinion is from Lori Shay. Lori is a strong Iowa fan. She has probably watched more basketball, talked more basketball, and listened to more coaches than 95% of America. Lori had three sons who were outstanding athletes at Galesburg HS. Zach went onto play football at Iowa, Beau played basketball at Clemson, and Jason played basketball at Iowa and now is coach at Wake Forest.
Caitlin Clark - as we all know she is a generational talent. She is getting her feet under her in The W and has made some rookie mistakes. She will be just fine, she’s not only talented but she’s smart. She will get it all figured out and be a phenomenal player in the WNBA.
The Fever has a lot of work to do. There is a reason they got the #1 pick. Their chemistry on the floor is not there yet, in their defense they have had no practice time together. Hopefully that will come with time, not looking for any championships this year. I think Caitlin, Aliyah, Temi and Katie Lou work well together but always room for improvement. Their defense needs a lot of work in my opinion. Fingers crossed they work on these things over the next month.
I truly think the refs in this league are low level. Not consistent at all. Caitlin has taken some abuse but I’m sure she’s not the only one. We hear about her more because she’s in the limelight, but NO player should have to take abuse from other players. Angel Reese was clotheslined to the floor, not acceptable.
The Fever - I do believe they have some very talented players, they just need to gel. Not impressed with Christie Sides. Poor player substitution management. Bad time management of the game, it seems to get away from her. 2nd year coach maybe needs more time but management wants instant results.
Other WNBA players I enjoy watching - A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Pumb (awesome pt guard), Kate Martin (great blue collar worker), Cameron Brink, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird (when she played) Aliyah Boston and many more.
The fourth opinion is Don O'Brien. At one time he was a Galesburg HS grad, but after he moved to Quincy, I got the diploma revoked. Don has been one of the good guys in local news working in sports at the Quincy Whig. Don is a strong NBA fan of the Bulls, he is not a big fan at this time of the WNBA.
You'd probably have to go back to Cheryl Miller to find a woman's basketball player who has captivated people like Clark has in the last 18 months. Sadly, Miller didn't have a pro league to go to when she graduated from USC.
I have watched women's basketball for over 30 years, starting with your team in the early 1990s when the R-M would send me to games. I covered D1 women's basketball at Eastern Illinois, high-level D2 at Quincy University as well. Some of my favorite times as a sports writer were covering those Quincy women's teams.
This is really my first time paying any attention to the WNBA. I'm shocked at how unskilled the majority of the players are. Very few can shoot the ball. The best shooting team in the WNBA would rank 28th in the NBA. I know practice time is at a premium this year in the WNBA as they are cramming in games around an Olympics break. But do any of them shoot in the offseason?
I have seen two good teams - Liberty and Aces. The rest struggle. There is talk of WNBA expansion, but they are only going to water down an already soft product.
Clark's team, the Indiana Fever, has miles to go before it can be among the elite in the league.
I think it's great people are paying attention to the WNBA, but it's going to be tough for the league to keep people interested with the inferior product that it rolls out on a nightly basis.
Thank you to all four of you for sharing your thoughts on the WNBA. It is exciting to me that this year people actually want to talk about the WNBA. Hopefully this year is the start of good things.
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