"Comparing apples to oranges": LSU HC Kim Mulkey subtly downplays Caitlin Clark’s historic feat of breaking Pete Maravich’s scoring record
LSU coach Kim Mulkey has reservations about Iowa phenom Caitlin Clark’s NCAA points record, which she achieved in the game against Ohio State on Sunday.
The Hawkeyes guard broke Pete Maravich’s college basketball scoring record, which has stood for 54 years, after entering the matchup 17 points short. With a 35-point performance, Clark improved her total tally to 3,685 points, surpassing Maravich’s 3,667.
After LSU’s 77-56 win over Kentucky on Sunday, Kim Mulkey downplayed the Iowa guard's feat, highlighting the fact that Pete Maravich only played three years for the Tigers at a time when there was no 3-point line.
“I don’t look at comparing apples to oranges,” Mulkey said. “What Clark has done is unbelievable, and her name will be right up there at the top. But he played over here with no 3-point line (for) three years, and I don’t think we need to make too much of ‘oh, she passed him’ because he’s a man.
“She’s who she is, and that’s awesome, and her lord knows when I played against her, 'I was like, are you kidding me?' What a generational talent.”
Kim Mulkey and her LSU team, led by Angel Reese, encountered Caitlin Clark last season in the national championship game. The Tigers defeated the Hawkeyes 102-85 to claim their first national title in a contest that saw Clark score 30 points on 9 of 22 shooting.
Kim Mulkey comments on the brilliance of Pete Maravich
Kim Mulkey knows how incredible Pete Maravich was, having grown up in Louisiana and led Hammond to four state championships in high school. She remembers watching Maravich during his college years at LSU and in the NBA while growing up.
“I’m gonna get long-winded here, OK?” Mulkey said. “Pete Maravich could do things with the basketball that I had never seen done in my life. Who can go behind your back, between your legs, and he could just see things ahead of his time.
“The movie, y’all see his movie back in the day? A lot of it was filmed in Hammond and Ponchatoula. So I was just glued to all the videos and the things that he did.”
Pete Maravich averaged an incredible 44.2 points per game in his three seasons at LSU, a record still unmatched in college basketball. This was all accomplished before the introduction of the 3-point line, making him one of the greatest college basketball players ever. Meanwhile, Clark is second all-time in 3-point makes.