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I've been reading comments that refer to NPOY and who is the better player between Paige & Caitlin. I thought it would be a good idea to have a separate thread devoted to the topic. Also, I thought it might benefit to focus on something else other than waiting for an update on Aubrey's injury.
As a diehard women's college basketball & UConn fan, I consider myself fortunate to be able to watch almost every game that UConn plays. I also make sure that I catch Iowa play when televised. Both Paige & Caitlin are prodigious talents and fans of each can offer compelling reasons why they favor one over another. Fans are passionate in general and comparisons sometimes tend to lose objectivity. I will try to be as objective as possible when comparing.
Heading into this season, Caitlin Clark was anointed the clear front runner to repeat as NPOY. After her phenomenal run during last year's tourney, she was the logical choice. Paige's candidacy was unknown after missing the previous season and a large chunk of the year prior. That is a lot of time to be out of the public consciousness. With the heavy emphasis on men's professional sports, there's not a lot of available oxygen for women's college basketball. However, last year Caitlin made a lot of naysayers change their minds and drew in casual viewers. She helped make WCBB a "thing." Real fans know the women's game has seen an infusion of talent in the last 5 years and there are more competitive teams nowadays compared to when UT & UConn were fighting for yearly supremacy.
Ask the casual fan to name a women's BB player and Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese might be offered. Clark's run last season was spectacular. Her numbers were eye popping. This season, she's picked up right where she left off. Like Aliyah Boston's junior year, the media basically declared her the NPOY before the season began. Even though her numbers were merely "good," she won the award over Caitlin Clark, who produced typical Caitlin Clark numbers. Although there are a number of players (JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo, Reagan Beers, Alissa Pili & Cameron Brink) putting up unbelievable numbers this year, I feel it's Clark's to lose. And I have no problem with it. She is going to eclipse the all-time scoring record and she has a realistic chance to lead the nation in both scoring and assists. Those are stats difficult to overcome. However, I don't think that necessarily anoints her as the best player. The best overall, all-around player is slowly working her way back to the forefront of WBB consciousness.
Stats are easy to use to support a position, but they do not convey the entire story. Let's compare the styles of Caitlin & Paige. Iowa has designed its game around Caitlin's talents. This allows Clark to become a stats monster. She is an incendiary force who forces her imprint on the game. For the most part, this approach benefits Iowa & Clark and they've been quite successful in doing so. Clark plays with passion and is often animated on the court. For her fans, this is another reason why they love her. For others, this aspect of her game is irksome.
Paige's approach is to take her skills and apply it to the talent around her. She is a maestro and approaches the game like a conductor of an orchestra, who calls in the strings,woodwinds, brass or percussion to take the lead. She can and knows when it's time to take control or assert herself. On the court, she is mostly cerebral, but quite effusive when celebrating others. She appeared hesitant at times early in the year. After missing so much court time, it is a process getting acclimated to the game, shaking off the rust and most importantly, trusting your body again. UConn fans see the difference from game #1 to last night's game.
Another aspect of Paige's talent is seeing the big picture. Surely, she could put up "bigger" numbers, but that is secondary to being successful as a team. In her freshman year and beginning of her sophomore season, teammates had a tendency to watch Paige do her thing. However, this year, she knows UConn is a better team when her teammates are contributing. Yes, she could be a clone of Caitlin, but odds are better when contributions are spread around.
In summary, both players are generational talents and great ambassadors, who take their roles seriously. Look at the end of games when rows of young girls line up for a chance to meet their idols. While Clark's numbers will be hard to overcome, Paige is getting better game by game. While Caitlin might have the signature step-back 3-pt shot moment for now, as evidenced last night against Creighton, Paige has that shot in her arsenal too. By the end of the season, Paige's complete stat line will be eye popping. While it might not garner her enough support for the NPOY, it will put her back in the conversation of who is the best player in college basketball. That discussion is about more than numbers. It can be determined by the eye test. And the more you watch Paige play, the more evident it becomes.
As a diehard women's college basketball & UConn fan, I consider myself fortunate to be able to watch almost every game that UConn plays. I also make sure that I catch Iowa play when televised. Both Paige & Caitlin are prodigious talents and fans of each can offer compelling reasons why they favor one over another. Fans are passionate in general and comparisons sometimes tend to lose objectivity. I will try to be as objective as possible when comparing.
Heading into this season, Caitlin Clark was anointed the clear front runner to repeat as NPOY. After her phenomenal run during last year's tourney, she was the logical choice. Paige's candidacy was unknown after missing the previous season and a large chunk of the year prior. That is a lot of time to be out of the public consciousness. With the heavy emphasis on men's professional sports, there's not a lot of available oxygen for women's college basketball. However, last year Caitlin made a lot of naysayers change their minds and drew in casual viewers. She helped make WCBB a "thing." Real fans know the women's game has seen an infusion of talent in the last 5 years and there are more competitive teams nowadays compared to when UT & UConn were fighting for yearly supremacy.
Ask the casual fan to name a women's BB player and Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese might be offered. Clark's run last season was spectacular. Her numbers were eye popping. This season, she's picked up right where she left off. Like Aliyah Boston's junior year, the media basically declared her the NPOY before the season began. Even though her numbers were merely "good," she won the award over Caitlin Clark, who produced typical Caitlin Clark numbers. Although there are a number of players (JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo, Reagan Beers, Alissa Pili & Cameron Brink) putting up unbelievable numbers this year, I feel it's Clark's to lose. And I have no problem with it. She is going to eclipse the all-time scoring record and she has a realistic chance to lead the nation in both scoring and assists. Those are stats difficult to overcome. However, I don't think that necessarily anoints her as the best player. The best overall, all-around player is slowly working her way back to the forefront of WBB consciousness.
Stats are easy to use to support a position, but they do not convey the entire story. Let's compare the styles of Caitlin & Paige. Iowa has designed its game around Caitlin's talents. This allows Clark to become a stats monster. She is an incendiary force who forces her imprint on the game. For the most part, this approach benefits Iowa & Clark and they've been quite successful in doing so. Clark plays with passion and is often animated on the court. For her fans, this is another reason why they love her. For others, this aspect of her game is irksome.
Paige's approach is to take her skills and apply it to the talent around her. She is a maestro and approaches the game like a conductor of an orchestra, who calls in the strings,woodwinds, brass or percussion to take the lead. She can and knows when it's time to take control or assert herself. On the court, she is mostly cerebral, but quite effusive when celebrating others. She appeared hesitant at times early in the year. After missing so much court time, it is a process getting acclimated to the game, shaking off the rust and most importantly, trusting your body again. UConn fans see the difference from game #1 to last night's game.
Another aspect of Paige's talent is seeing the big picture. Surely, she could put up "bigger" numbers, but that is secondary to being successful as a team. In her freshman year and beginning of her sophomore season, teammates had a tendency to watch Paige do her thing. However, this year, she knows UConn is a better team when her teammates are contributing. Yes, she could be a clone of Caitlin, but odds are better when contributions are spread around.
In summary, both players are generational talents and great ambassadors, who take their roles seriously. Look at the end of games when rows of young girls line up for a chance to meet their idols. While Clark's numbers will be hard to overcome, Paige is getting better game by game. While Caitlin might have the signature step-back 3-pt shot moment for now, as evidenced last night against Creighton, Paige has that shot in her arsenal too. By the end of the season, Paige's complete stat line will be eye popping. While it might not garner her enough support for the NPOY, it will put her back in the conversation of who is the best player in college basketball. That discussion is about more than numbers. It can be determined by the eye test. And the more you watch Paige play, the more evident it becomes.
