"Dawn Staley is an absolute class act": Emmanuel Acho on South Carolina HC's heartfelt comment for Caitlin Clark amid National Championship success

Dawn Staley made history with the South Carolina Gamecocks in this year's NCAA tournament by defeating Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Gamecocks were crowned national champions after an undefeated 38-0 season.

Amid the celebrations, the South Carolina head coach doffed her proverbial hat to Caitlin Clark for her contributions to the game and the collegiate legacy she will leave behind. This heartwarming moment led to former NFL star Emmanuel Acho heaping praise on Dawn Staley.

Via a recent tweet, Acho shared a clip of Staley's post-game interaction. The former NFL star turned analyst praised Staley for her humility in recognizing Caitlin Clark's achievements even after recording a perfect season herself.

"Dawn Staley is an absolute class act. After finishing a perfect season, she has enough class and humility to personally thank Caitlin Clark from her award stage", Acho wrote.

While on the podium following South Carolina's 87-75 victory, Staley shared a heartwarming message for Caitlin Clark:

"I really would just like to say, I'd like to congratulate Iowa on an incredible season. Also, I wanna personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport. She carried a heavy load for our sport. And it's not gonna stop here on a collegiate tour, but when she's the No.1 pick in the WNBA draft, she's gonna lift up that league as well. So Caitlin Clark, if you're out there, you are one of the GOATs of our game and I appreciate you."

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Caitlin Clark expressed her gratitude to Dawn Staley for her kind words

The Iowa star finished the night scoring 30 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. During the post-game press conference, Clark thanked the South Carolina head coach for her words of encouragement from the podium.

"Obviously, she's somebody I respect so much. I respect what she's done for South Carolina. I respect what she did as a player for our game. Anytime you can get the praises out of her is pretty special, so that means a lot."

Caitlin Clark has broken several records during her collegiate career. As she now prepares to transition into the WNBA, it will be interesting to see if she can achieve the same level of success right away.