“It’s nothing against Caitlin Clark”: When Dawn Staley agreed to Breanna Stewart’s legacy and commended ex-Iowa star for handling pressure

Coach Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks are on top of the college women's basketball world right now. The reigning champions are amid their national title defense and have a 16-1 overall record after defeating the Texas Longhorns 67-50 on Sunday.

This victory gives Staley and the rest of the Gamecocks an undefeated conference record of 4-0 this season, and they hope to keep that dominance going as division play heats up in the coming weeks.

Through all of the talent she has produced for the women's game, Staley is still very much a fan of any kind of talent even if it's not coming from her player. Speaking on the "Dan Patrick Show" in March of last year, the 54-year-old shared how former college stars such as Breanna Stewart must be talked about in the same light as current WNBA standouts like Caitlin Clark.

The discussion posed to Staley was about how names such as Stewart and Cheryl Miller are being brought to light given the recent growth of the game. South Carolina's main tactician responded to Stewart's four national championship legacy being talked about in agreement.

"You can't. It's nothing against Caitlin Clark and all the people that love her," Staley shared. (6:07)

"I'm a basketball enthusiast. I love her, what she's doing for the game, when she hits logo threes, when she hits game-winning shots. All that is tremendouts. I spent a lot of time watching Big Ten basketball because of her. That's got to be a lot of responsibility and pressure for her. She's handled it incredibly well."

Flash forward to now, and Dawn Staley's current Gamecocks standouts such as Te-Hina Paopao and MiLaysia Fulwiley will look to continue their winning ways on Thursday against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Dawn Staley says that Caitlin Clark brought a lot of attention to women's basketball

Dawn Staley and Caitlin Clark in the 2024 AP Awarding press conference. - Source: Kirby Lee, Imagn

Dawn Staley has a lot of love for Iowa product Caitlin Clark and her impact on developing women's basketball further. In the same clip, she went into detail:

"Caitlin Clark's brought a lot of eyes to our game. I'm really grateful for her talent, and I do think she's incredible, remarkable (and) eye-catching. She's got great IQ. I gotta give it to her. She is definitely a woman that continues to grow our game." (5:10)

Clark is set to enter her second campaign with the Indiana Fever later this year after winning the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award in her first season. It will be interesting to see if she can continue to develop and just how high her ceiling can be.