Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark. Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Geno Auriemma's Caitlin Clark take looks like an all-time freezing cold take

By Chris Peterson | Last updated Jun 15, 2025 12:48 PM ET

Geno Auriemma is one of the most well-known people in women's basketball, but that doesn't make his freezing-cold take about Caitlin Clark from 2024 any better.

As time has gone on, it has looked worse and worse. Before Clark was drafted into the WNBA in 2024, Auriemma was asked about how she would perform.

The legendary coach was critical of Clark and said he would be in for "a rude awakening."

"The delusional fanbase that follows her disrespected the WNBA by saying she's going to go into that league and tear it apart. These people are so disrespectful and so unknowledgeable and so stupid, it gives women's basketball a bad name," Auriemma opined on "The Dan Patrick Show."

After missing five games due to injury, Clark reminded everyone why she's the most exciting player in the WNBA with her 32 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and seven three-pointers in a win over the undefeated New York Liberty, becoming the first player in league history to do that.

It was the third time in Clark's career that she had at least 30 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out seven assists in a game. That's the most any WNBA player has recorded that stat line in their first two seasons, surpassing the legendary Candace Parker, who did it twice.

Auriemma, probably biased by his connection to all the great UConn players in the league, dramatically underestimated what Clark can do.

She finished fourth in MVP voting as a rookie, and despite being injured, is right there in the discussion with Napheesa Collier as the best player in the league.

Clark is the WNBA's Michael Jordan, and Auriemma's take continues to age like milk.

Chris Peterson

Chris is a sports fanatic with 20 years of sports writing experience. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, FanSided and Yardbarker. He’s covered the NFL, high school sports and everything in between.

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