College basketball legend Jim Boeheim willing to throw 'punch' at Caitlin Clark critics
Clark has yet to be put in upper echelon of women's college basketball by some
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}College basketball legend Jim Boeheim didn’t mince words Monday when he talked about those critical of Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark following the sharpshooter’s record-breaking performance over the weekend.
Boeheim appeared on OutKick’s "Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich" and pushed back strongly on those who don’t think of Clark as great because she lacks national championships.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Iowa guard Caitlin Clark (Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"Somebody comes out, some expert says, ‘Well, she hasn’t won a championship.’ If I ever see that guy, I’d just punch him, unless he’s really big," Boeheim said. "I won’t do it if he’s really big. But these people, how do they even get jobs saying stuff like that?"
"There should be certain things you say that disqualifies you from ever being on radio or TV again. To bring that up with Caitlin Clark or Karl Malone or John Stockton or people like that – they make their teams so much better, and without them, the Utah Jazz wouldn’t have won too many games without those two guys. And Iowa, I’m sure, wouldn’t win, although I like their team."
Former Duke star Jay Williams, an ESPN analyst, initially sparked the furor after he downplayed just how great Clark is, citing the lack of championships. He called her "probably the most prolific scorer the game of basketball has ever seen."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Iowa's Caitlin Clark signs autographs at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on March 3, 2024. (Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Clark surpassed Pete Maravich for the most points in NCAA Division 1 history on Sunday. She did it in the first half against Ohio State.
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Boeheim told Dan Dakich he is a fan of Clark and that she is one of the players he watches closely since he retired as Syracuse’s men’s basketball head coach.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jim Boeheim (Rich Barnes/Getty Images/File)
"She’s special to watch and fun to watch," he said. "And I was glad she kind of decided to go even though she could make a lot more money in college, but she’s done everything that she could do. I think she’ll be a really good player in the WNBA. But there’s grown women up there, it won’t be that easy. That’s always a tough transition, but I’ll be watching."
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Clark and Iowa now have their sights set on the Big Ten Tournament.
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