Geno Auriemma says Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are the “two most talked about players in WNBA,” calls out women athletes for their 'moan and groan'
There is no question that women's college basketball has been elevated in the United States thanks to the work of players like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. Their star power has continued to shine even while they have transitioned from college basketball to the WNBA.
Speaking at the Aspen Ideas Festival, UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma discussed how he feels about the ongoing conversations in women's basketball.
"[Caitlin Clark] and Angel Reese are not the two best players in the WNBA, but they're the two most talked about players in the WNBA right now. If you're some of the players... you can moan and groan about why weren't they talking about me when I was here... or you can just appreciate what it is and take advantage of it now."
It is difficult to dispute that the two women stars are driving more viewers to the WNBA. Sunday's regular-season game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever drew 3.3 million people at its peak. It also had a consistent viewership of 2.3 million people, making it the most-viewed WNBA game in 23 years.
People cannot argue against the interest that has been brought upon by Reese and Clark's superstar prowess. Heading into the 2024 WNBA season, there has never been a game that had more than one million viewers.
So far, this season alone has had nine instances. The WNBA has done a great job of marketing these two women to make things intriguing for the league. But it also needs to improve how it markets other established stars.
Both players had some struggles throughout the beginning of their rookie seasons but are beginning to get their footing. Reese has performed incredibly well with 13.2 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. Caitlin Clark is averaging 16.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game thus far.
Which women's college basketball stars can continue to help elevate the WNBA?
With no more Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese on the scene, the state of college basketball could be in a flux. However, there are still some incredible stars to make the sport continue to improve in terms of popularity.
Two of the bigger names returning to college basketball this upcoming season are USC's JuJu Watkins and Geno Auriemma's UConn's star Paige Bueckers.
With these two, women's college basketball can continue improving in popularity. One thing that makes it easier to understand for fans is the fact that women's college basketball players cannot be one-and-dones.
That means they are going to be around for more than one season and can establish their games and become bigger names before leaving college basketball. They can also then use their star power to further boost the following of WNBA. It's a win-win for women's basketball at all levels.