CLEVELAND — Everyone wanted to talk about the game, anticipated after the South Carolina women’s basketball team held off Iowa for an 87-75 victory and a second national championship in three years. But Dawn Staley also wanted to talk about the other match. In fact, it’s not strong enough. She was going to talk about it.
Basketball has played such an important role in her life that she protects it as fiercely as a mother would her newborn. His love for it is matched only by his respect for it. So even as respondents asked if the Gamecocks became just the 10th team in NCAA Division I history to finish a season undefeated, with a 38-0 record, Staley deliberately turned the spotlight on the a person who played a pivotal role in the transformation of this season and an inflection point in the evolution of the game.
“I don’t want to take this opportunity to thank Caitlin (Clark) for what she’s done for women’s basketball,” she said of the Iowa guard whose transcendent play has helped generate a record number of viewers. “His shoulders were heavy and brought a lot of attention to our game. And sometimes, as a kid, that can be a little too much. But I thought she handled it with class. I hope that with each step on the ladder of success that she takes, she is able to elevate the room that she is in.
Minutes earlier, Staley had risen to the upper rungs of a ladder at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. She cut the last strands of polyester from the net and placed them around her neck. Then she turned each way and waved to the fans.
As I later listened to her describe her feelings, Maya Angelou’s words came to mind: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
That sums up the 2023-24 women’s basketball season for me. In a few years, I’ll probably forget Clark’s career point total, how many games South Carolina won, why Kim Mulkey always seemed so angry, and which players were involved in the moving screen at the end of the UConn-Iowa national semifinal. But I will never forget the feeling of satisfaction that comes with seeing the sport come of age.
Dynasty?
🏆 @GamecockWBB pic.twitter.com/ij7ovmsJ1b
– The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 7, 2024
For decades, broadcast partners and audiences have marginalized women’s basketball, ostensibly relegating it to the children’s table. Calls for respect were heard but ignored. But this season was different. Women no longer demanded respect; they demanded it with the record viewership that comes from the brilliance of Clark, the high-level play of South Carolina, Iowa, UConn, LSU and others, and the intrigue and grudge matches that set social media ablaze.
How far has the game gotten? When the Final Four was held in Tacoma, Washington, in 1988 and 1989, the local newspaper did not send any of its top sports reporters to cover the event. He sent a modest community reporter who had never been to a major sporting event. I know this because that person was me.
I was amazed that there wasn’t more interest after experiencing the intensity in Tennessee coach Pat Summitt’s piercing blue eyes, the play of Long Beach State guard Penny Toler, the position general of Stanford guard Jennifer Azzi, the consistency of Tennessee forward Bridgette Gordon and the promise of Louisiana Tech center Venus Lacy. But it’s hard to achieve success when broadcast rights are sold to a cable company that’s an afterthought.
ESPN should be ashamed of this. The fact is that he doesn’t deserve what he currently has: one of the hottest products in sports. This year’s women’s game attracted more viewers than the NBA Finals, World Series, College Football Playoff, etc. And while there could be a decline with Clark leaving for the WNBA, the chances of a significant decline seem remote at best.
The reason is the abundance of elite teams and young play-making stars, including USC freshman JuJu Watkins, who ranked second in the nation in scoring; Notre Dame freshman Hannah Hildago, who was a television staple; and South Carolina freshmen MiLaysia Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson, who just played a leading role in winning the Gamecocks their third national championship in franchise history. And then there’s senior guard Paige Bueckers, who led Connecticut to the Final Four and should be in the running for National Player of the Year next season.
“I just want our game to grow. I don’t care if it’s us. I don’t care if it’s Caitlin. I don’t care if it’s JuJu or Hannah,” Staley said. “I just want our games to grow, no matter who it is. Because there are a lot of people growing our game, a lot of programs growing our game. We have to continue to elevate them as well, as we take our game to the next level.
GO FURTHER
Dawn Staley created South Carolina’s perfect championship season after last year’s loss
There will be plenty of time to discuss the passing of the baton, so to speak. But Sunday was about recognizing those who, while they may not have created this moment, have undoubtedly capitalized on the momentum created over the past few seasons. And Clark was on the front lines.
Before she fades from the stage for the final time as a college player, she reflected on the things she will remember and appreciate most: her teammates, her coaches and her support inside and outside the program . And she will also be very proud and satisfied to have contributed to making women’s football a priority.
“When I think about women’s basketball in the future, it’s obvious that it’s going to continue to grow, whether it’s at the WNBA level or the college level,” Clark said. “Everyone sees it. Everyone knows. Everyone sees the audience figures. When given the opportunity, women’s sport thrives. I think that’s been the coolest thing for me about this trip. We started our season playing in front of 55,000 people at Kinnick Stadium, and now we end it playing in front of probably 15 million people or more on television. It just keeps getting better and better. This is never going to stop.
(Photo by Dawn Staley: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)