Caitlin Clark is ‘the sole reason’ for the surge of interest in women’s basketball, national-championship-winning South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said Wednesday. 

Over the last 13 months, the television viewership record for a women’s basketball game has been broken four times, with a Clark-led Iowa team participating in all four contests.

First, it was Iowa against LSU in last year’s national championship game followed by the Hawkeyes final three games of this year’s NCAA Tournament, culminating with a matchup against Staley’s Gamecocks, which was watched by an average of 18.7million.

The spotlight has never been brighter on Clark, who was selected No 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in Monday’s WNBA Draft.

Staley’s comments came alongside Clark’s introductory press conference with the Fever, where Barstool’s Dave Portnoy branded a journalist as a ‘sexist pervert’ and is demanding his employer take action after his awkward exchange with Clark.

Clark has been part of the rise in popularity of women’s basketball over the last few years

Staley is viewed as a pioneer in women’s basketball and has given plenty of credit to Clark

‘I want women’s basketball to grow, and I’m not too shy about saying why it grows,’ Staley told 670 The Score in Chicago about Clark. ‘She’s made it grow over the past two years.’

‘We need to make sure that we’re telling the stories of our entire game, so sometimes you have to go against the masses to really cut down to say what’s happening in real-time,’ Staley said.

‘Caitlin Clark is the sole reason why viewership has shot through the roof for our game. Sole reason,’ Staley continued.

‘Sole reason and I think the decision-makers are following suit in making sure that other games are being played besides Caitlin Clark, because if you play Caitlin Clark, you’re going to run up against somebody you might find that’s pretty good.’

Iowa played LSU twice in the record-breaking quartet, with Angel Reese headlining those Tigers’ squads. Clark lead the Hawkeyes past Paige Bueckers and UConn in the Final Four, before falling to South Carolina two weeks ago.

The Gamecocks defeated the Hawkeyes in Clark’s final collegiate game two weeks ago

Staley mentioned Clark bringing audiences in hopefully gave them a chance to also become interested in other players she’s teaming with or playing against, such as now-Reese teammate on the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, Kamilla Cardoso.

Staley was one of the five players Clark listed as part of her cameo on ‘Saturday Night Live’ who ‘kicked down the door’ for women’s basketball that ‘she can walk inside’ in joining the WNBA.

And during her first press appearance with the Fever, Indianapolis Star reporter Gregg Doyel imitated the former Iowa star’s heart-hands gesture before saying: ‘Start doing it to me and we’ll get along just fine.’

Doyel has come under fire for his remarks, with some stating the Fever should revoke his credentials for the exchange.

Caitlin Clark is ‘the sole reason’ for the surge of interest in women’s basketball, national-championship-winning South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said Wednesday.

Over the last 13 months, the television viewership record for a women’s basketball game has been broken four times, with a Clark-led Iowa team participating in all four contests.

First, it was Iowa against LSU in last year’s national championship game followed by the Hawkeyes final three games of this year’s NCAA Tournament, culminating with a matchup against Staley’s Gamecocks, which was watched by an average of 18.7million.

The spotlight has never been brighter on Clark, who was selected No 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in Monday’s WNBA Draft.

Staley’s comments came alongside Clark’s introductory press conference with the Fever, where Barstool’s Dave Portnoy branded a journalist as a ‘sexist pervert’ and is demanding his employer take action after his awkward exchange with Clark.

Clark has been part of the rise in popularity of women’s basketball over the last few years

Staley is viewed as a pioneer in women’s basketball and has given plenty of credit to Clark

‘I want women’s basketball to grow, and I’m not too shy about saying why it grows,’ Staley told 670 The Score in Chicago about Clark. ‘She’s made it grow over the past two years.’

‘We need to make sure that we’re telling the stories of our entire game, so sometimes you have to go against the masses to really cut down to say what’s happening in real-time,’ Staley said.

‘Caitlin Clark is the sole reason why viewership has shot through the roof for our game. Sole reason,’ Staley continued. ‘Sole reason and I think the decision-makers are following suit in making sure that other games are being played besides Caitlin Clark, because if you play Caitlin Clark, you’re going to run up against somebody you might find that’s pretty good.’

Iowa played LSU twice in the record-breaking quartet, with Angel Reese headlining those Tigers’ squads. Clark lead the Hawkeyes past Paige Bueckers and UConn in the Final Four, before falling to South Carolina two weeks ago.

The Gamecocks defeated the Hawkeyes in Clark’s final collegiate game two weeks ago

Staley mentioned Clark bringing audiences in hopefully gave them a chance to also become interested in other players she’s teaming with or playing against, such as now-Reese teammate on the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, Kamilla Cardoso.

Staley was one of the five players Clark listed as part of her cameo on ‘Saturday Night Live’ who ‘kicked down the door’ for women’s basketball that ‘she can walk inside’ in joining the WNBA.

And during her first press appearance with the Fever, Indianapolis Star reporter Gregg Doyel imitated the former Iowa star’s heart-hands gesture before saying: ‘Start doing it to me and we’ll get along just fine.’

Doyel has come under fire for his remarks, with some stating the Fever should revoke his credentials for the exchange.