As the Indiana Fever navigate a critical stretch without their star guard, Caitlin Clark, sidelined due to a quad injury, the rookie phenom has found a new way to contribute – and stir controversy as she makes calls from the bench.
Rather than sit passively, the 23-year-old is fulfilling a request from the coaching staff to shadow them during practices and games with the goal of making sure she doesn’t have her feet up.
The intent is clear: broaden her understanding of the game from the coaches’ perspective and enhance her leadership skills on the court. If it works, Indiana may have a de facto coach on the wood.
“We’ve asked her to just be around the coaches throughout the course of practice,” Stephanie White, head coach, told reporters. “And in-game so that she can hear our perspective.
“Where we’re coming from, the things that we’re trying to emphasize-so that she can get a little bit more of a coaching hat.”
Clark, known for her can-do attitude and positive approach, has taken that directive to heart, attending games, engaging with fans, and even interacting with officials. She is stepping up.
During the Fever’s matchup against the Washington Mystics, she was seen animatedly disputing a call alongside one of the assistant coaches. Her personality hasn’t changed regardless of availability.
Anything but quiet, fans recognized her emotional and combative playing style isn’t just limited to when she’s trying to create assists or nail her iconic logo-three-point efforts.
Clark takes naturally to the role
This isn’t new behavior for Clark. At Iowa, her intensity was both her trademark and her Achilles’ heel. For example, her father, Brent, once shouted at her to stop arguing with a referee mid-game.
The guard’s history with officiating tension has followed her into the WNBA. After racking up six technical fouls last season – one shy of a suspension – her style continues to raise eyebrows.
In this light, she’s said to take after her father, who made it to the NCAA and turned out for Simpson College in Iowa in both basketball and baseball through 1985-1988.
“I was a pretty emotional player,” Brent told reporters. “I even recall fights in a couple of games.
“I wasn’t the instigator, but the competitive juices just flowed. Caitlin and I see a lot of me in her in that way.”
Clark’s active involvement during her recovery has ignited comparisons to NBA superstar LeBron James. Fans have, critically, pointed out that, like the Los Angeles Lakers‘ star, her passion often leads to heated disputes with referees.
One user commented online, “Got that LeBron cry baby in her.”
A second said,, “No different than LeBron when he is on the sideline chirping.”
Read the full article here
