"Her passing is her separator": South Carolina HC Dawn Staley drops her take on game planning against $3.2M NIL-valued Caitlin Clark

The NCAA Women's Final Four is just around the corner, and the last remaining teams in the tournament are understandably preparing for what lies ahead. But while South Carolina isn't taking on Iowa until at least the national championship game, Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley is still keeping a close eye on Caitlin Clark.

Recently, Iowa Hawkeyes reporter Blake Hornstein asked Staley about the game plan for the $3.2 million NIL-valued (per On3) star.

"Great player. No wasted movements out there on the floor, her game is lean. She makes you pay with every mistake that you make. I know her [that] she's a prolific scorer. But her passing basically is her separator."

Staley continues:

"She counters every missed shot with her ability to pass the basketball. And not only pass it; the teammates she's passing to are taking practice shots. These are like wide-open shots. I think it's super cool just trying to gameplan--you can't just play her one way. You gotta try to gunk it up, you gotta try to give her different looks."

Everyone knows that Caitlin Clark can shoot the lights out on any given night. However, she proved in Iowa's win over LSU that she can pass the ball like nobody's business. Her 12 assists in that game proved that her gravity forces defenses to collapse on her, allowing her to see wide-open players for easy baskets.

For the year, Clark is averaging 9.0 assists per game. In her last five games, including the Big Ten championship, she has been averaging 10.4 dimes per contest. This includes a 15-assist effort against Colorado, who managed to contain her from deep, but she was able to maneuver around that.

NCAA Women's Final Four schedule

Fawn Staley and her squad can't get caught looking too far ahead of their matchup against third-seeded NC State. The same goes for Iowa, who still needs to deal with UConn and Paige Bueckers.

The Women's Final Four doubleheader is set for April 6, with the two games scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and 9.30 p.m. ET. The Gamecocks and Wolfpack play first, followed by the Hawkeyes and the Huskies, with both games hosted at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.