Iowa guard Caitlin Clark doesn’t believe LSU forward Angel Reese deserves criticism for her taunting gestures during Sunday’s women’s basketball national championship game.
After being announced as the winner of the Wooden Award, Clark was asked by ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap about Reese making a “you can’t see me” gesture and eventually pointing to her ring finger during the closing moments of the championship game.
Clark was not bothered by it and also made the same gesture earlier in the tournament.
“I don’t think Angel should be criticized at all,” said Clark. “I’m just one that competes, and she competed. I think everybody knew there was gonna be a little trash talk in the entire tournament. It’s not just me and Angel.
“We’re all competitive. We all show our emotions in a different way. You know, Angel is a tremendous, tremendous player. I have nothing but respect for her. I love her game — the way she rebounds the ball, scores the ball is absolutely incredible. I’m a big fan of her and even the entire LSU team. They played an amazing game.”
LSU beat the Hawkeyes 102-85 in the NCAA championship game on Sunday in Dallas while Clark earned a sweep of the national player of the year awards.
The gestures made Reese lit up social media, with comments supporting the “Bayou Barbie” for trash talk that’s just part of the game and condemning her for lacking grace in victory.
The bubbly junior from Baltimore, who transferred from Maryland to join flamboyant LSU coach Kim Mulkey, was unapologetic in the postgame news conference.
“All year, I was critiqued about who I was,” Reese said. “I don’t fit in a box that you all want me to be in. I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto. But when other people do it, you all say nothing. So this was for the girls that look like me, that’s going to speak up on what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you.”
White House Invite
When announcing that LSU would be coming to the White House for a visit, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden also suggested that Iowa should join as well.
“I know we’ll have the champions come to the White House,” Biden said before adding that “Iowa should come, too, because they played such a good game.”
Clark did not agree that her team should also be in attendance at the White House despite being a part of a historic game.
“That’s for LSU,” Clark said. “They should enjoy every single second of being the champion. I think that’s theirs to do.
“I don’t think runner-ups usually go to the White House. LSU should enjoy that moment for them. And congratulations, obviously, they deserve to go there. Maybe I could go to the White House [someday] on different terms.”
Sunday’s final drew an estimated average audience of 9.9 million viewers that peaked at 12.6 million in the U.S., making it the most-viewed NCAA women’s basketball game on record. It was the first women’s NCAA final for both LSU and Iowa.
–With files from the Associated Press.