In the heated arena of the 2024 NCAA women’s basketball tournament, all eyes are on two dominating figures, Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. With Elite Eight quickly approaching, there’s a subplot brewing between them.
Addressing the flurry of allegations articulated after her triumphant ‘you can’t see me’ hand gesture during the 2023 tournament, Reese dismissed any and every hint of abuse between her and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark.
“I don’t think people realize it’s not personal,” stated LSU star, Angel Reese.
“Once we get out between those lines, if I see you walking down the street, it’s like, ‘Hey, girl, what’s up? Let’s hang out.’ I think people just take it like we hate each other. Me and Caitlin Clark don’t hate each other. I want everybody to understand that. It’s just a super-competitive game.”
“Once I get between those lines, there’s no friends,” the SEC Player of the Year added. “I’m going to talk trash to you. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get in your head the whole entire game, but after the game, we can kick it. I don’t think people really realize that.”
“That’s fine. I’ll take the villain role. I’ll take the hit for it, but I know we’re growing women’s basketball. If this is the way we’re going to do it, then this is the way we’re going to do it. You either like it or you don’t.”
Reese’s iconic celebration of LSU’s impending national championship victory was interpreted by some as lacking in sportsmanship.
Being fingered as rivals, the Reese-Clark face-offs have held audience’s rapture since high school. However, it is a rivalry that Reese and Clark both seem to refute.
Describing her relationship with Clark as “super-competitive”, Reese pointed out that their shared history dates back to before her Maryland career.
On her part, Caitlin Clark noted some similarities between her game and Reese’s, remarking: “There’s definitely that competitive fire.” “Both of us want to win more than anything, and that’s how it should be when you’re a competitor and you get into a situation like this, whether it was the national championship, whether it’s the Elite Eight.
“I think that’s the main similarity is how competitive we are. We both grew up loving this game, and we’re going to do anything we can to help our teams win.”
"I don't think Angel should be criticized at all."
Caitlin Clark said she thought Angel Reese received too much backlash for her celebrations during the championship game. (via @OTLonESPN) pic.twitter.com/i8tZyO8bai
— ESPN (@espn) April 4, 2023
As Iowa secured a return match with the reigning national champions, LSU, Clark acclaimed the impressive performance by the Tiger squad.
The upcoming Elite Eight between the Hawkeyes and Tigers is brimming with opportunities to create a new history.
Despite the hyped narratives, both Reese and Clark clarified that there’s no individual grudge between them.
With Monday’s showdown poised to be an exciting battle, all speculations of personal animosity will take a backseat, celebrating the pure, competitive spirit of basketball instead.
