Caitlin Clark

Angel Reese has divided opinion on social media following her gesture towards opponent Caitlin Clark in the final moments of the NCAA Women's tournament.

Speaking at a press conference, Reese said: "I don't fit in the box that y'all want me to be in. Another was damning with their take on the celebration and said about Reese: "This is about the worst display of sportsmanship you could ever expect to see from an athlete. [Addressing her critics](https://twitter.com/wslam/status/1642702975817891841) post game, Reese said that there has been a different reaction to her doing the celebration compared to Clark mocking opponents in previous rounds of the tournament. "What a classless move by Angel Reese. During the tournament, Clark had celebrated doing a version of WWE wrestler John Cena's trademark "you can't see me" gesture. Love to see it."

LSU forward Angel Reese celebrated her team's performance over Caitlin Clark and Iowa late in the national championship game on Sunday.

What are you going to say now?” All the credit in the world to LSU. “Twitter can say what Twitter can say,” she said. The fashionable 6-foot-3 post with modeling aspirations is becoming a social media magnet. “I was just trying to get to the handshake line and shake hands and be grateful that my team was in that position,” said Clark, who scored 30 points. I’m too hood.

LSU star Angel Reese defended the gesture she aimed at Iowa Hawkeyes' Caitlin Clark near the end of the Tigers' first NCAA women's basketball national ...

What are you going to say now?” “Twitter can say what they want to say,” she said. “But honestly I have no idea. She’s one of the best basketball coaches of all time, and it shows. But I had a moment at the end of her game. (…) I’m looking forward to celebrating and then next season.” It was cute when Caitlin Clark did it. “Caitlin Clark is a hell of a player but I don’t take disrespect lightly,” Reese said. “And I’m happy. And that’s what I did it for tonight. For those that want to speak up for what they believe in. The gesture has sparked much debate, especially on social media.

Angel Reese talking trash to Caitlin Clark, and the resulting social media storm that followed, showed the double standard for Black players.

To be a white athlete is to be cerebral, a student of the game, a throwback to a different era. "The power of whiteness is equally evident in the trash talk of John Stockton, Larry Bird, Brady and (Johnny) Manziel. [he wrote in an adaptation of his book for The Undefeated.](https://andscape.com/features/book-playing-while-white-examines-privilege-on-and-off-the-field/) "To be a white athlete is to 'play the right way,' to be unselfish, to be without ego and to always put winning and team first and foremost. Hopefully the standard they're held to won't be different from Clark's. Clark is a skilled trash talker and used the [John Cena "you can't see me" taunt](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaw/tourney/2023/03/28/john-cena-responds-caitlin-clarks-viral-you-cant-see-me-taunt/11558797002/) multiple times throughout the tournament. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, after the team's Final Four loss to Iowa, spoke about fighting the stereotype that her team is thuggish because they play with physicality. I would love for our white counterparts who play to step up and say what it is. [Caitlin Clark, one of the most talented and entertaining players](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaw/2023/04/02/caitlin-clark-impact-tournament-means-everybody-knows-her-name/11590444002/) in the history of college basketball. Fights in NASCAR is seen as cool and spirited. To show just how big a story this became, how it divided along racial lines, after a famous white former sports broadcaster called Reese a "(expletive) idiot," actor Samuel L. It's true that Reese escalated the trash talk by walking behind Clark while taunting her, the action still didn't come close to justifying the massive amount of vitriol aimed at her on social media. And she is correct about that double standard.

Few players will match the run she had during this NCAA Tournament for the Hawkeyes, breaking countless records and genuinely becoming an ambassador for the ...

While the LSU Tigers took home their first-ever NCAA women's basketball championship, there was one player who stole the show throughout March Madness.

I was just that young girl, so all you have to do is dream, and you can be in moments like this.” “We know everything kind of centers around her,” explained the NBA’s record three-point scorer. “You obviously can’t leave her open. I hope this team brought them a lot of joy.” While crying, the Hawkeyes star said: “I think the biggest thing is it’s really, really special. “I want my legacy to be the impact that I can have on young kids and the people in the state of Iowa, and I hope I brought them a lot of joy this season.

Southwest Florida basketball fans won't have to travel to Iowa to see her play next season. Clark, who will be a senior, and the Hawkeyes are committed to ...

It has a history of bringing in top teams as UConn, South Carolina, and LSU have also played in the event in the past. In case you were wondering if maybe she would leave for the WNBA, the 21-year-old is not eligible for the draft because a player needs to be 22 or have graduated three months prior to the draft, which is April 10. Clark, who will be a senior, and the Hawkeyes are committed to playing in the

THE 2023 NCAA women's basketball tournament was filled with historic performances by several teams and players, including Caitlin Clark.Here we take a.

And everything has to be in rhythm. She's always in balance. "When you watch them play, she just adds the element of surprise that you can't really game-plan for. She can pull up from the parking lot. "I think that's the biggest thing that Caitlin shows. She's got a handle. She's aggressive with this. "She averaged 27 [points per] game this season. She is lethal, and I love watching her. [NCAA](https://www.the-sun.com/topic/ncaa/) star, who many are comparing to [NBA](https://www.the-sun.com/topic/nba/) icon [Stephen Curry](https://www.the-sun.com/who/stephen-curry/). [basketball](https://www.the-sun.com/topic/basketball/) player at the University of Iowa. Smith](https://www.the-sun.com/who/stephen-a-smith/) and NBA star Stephen Curry.

Caitlin Clark's mesmerizing run through the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament came to an end in Sunday's National Championship Game after Angel Reese ...

I don't fit the box that y'all want me to be in. [LSU dominated Iowa, 102-85, to win the Tigers' first title](https://247sports.com/LongFormArticle/LSU-womens-basketball-wows-media-with-win-over-Iowa-Caitlin-Clark-in-national-title-game-officiating-ripped-207745446/). "I don't fit the narrative.

At the women's NCAA final, Angel Reese of LSU waved her hand in front of her face while glaring at Iowa's Caitlin Clark. Here's what the gesture means and ...

Her LSU teammate Alexis Morris had [already criticized the Hawkeyes' defense](https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/36031086/lsu-punish-iowa-disrespectful-defense), saying she found the way they guarded South Carolina "disrespectful" and vowing to "take it personally" going into the final. So this is for the girls that look like me." "I don't fit in the box that you all want me to be in. [told Jimmy Fallon](https://youtu.be/__gMSsaGNA0?t=70) last year that when he was working on his 2005 album, his younger brother Sean was "always our litmus test" and never satisfied with any of the songs. [first Black heavyweight boxing champion](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jack-Johnson) early in the 20th century, was called cowardly for the same defensive style of boxing that earned white fighters praise for using their guile. (He correctly predicted on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that those quips would flood the YouTube video's comment section.) "So this is for the girls that look like me, that want to speak up on what they believe in. "So I wanted to do this, and the term 'you can't see me' is like, 'Well, you're not even on my level.'" "I wanted to pick her pocket," Reese added. "And this was another anecdote to go along with that qualitative evidence." The moment quickly went viral, with commentators and observers criticizing Reese for what they perceived as unsportsmanlike taunting of Clark. She finished with 191 points, the most ever scored by any man or woman in a single NCAA tournament.

NBA icon LeBron James has defended under fire LSU Tigers star Angel Reese, who has caught heat for mocking superstar rival Caitlin Clark before the end of ...

She said: “All year I was critiqued about who I was. Reese said after the game: “[Clark is a] hell of a player but I don’t take disrespect lightly. But I had a moment at the end of her game … Reese didn’t provoke a reaction from Clark, though, who was both unfazed and gracious in defeat. Reese put up 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the 102-85 win on Sunday, leaving Hawkeyes star Clark with little to no chance of clinching victory, despite netting an impressive 30 points. Love to see it.”

There were many impressive things about LSU's victory over Iowa in the women's NCAA Tournament championship game Sunday — from the Tigers' first basketball ...

[went 9-13](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/louisiana-state/women/2021.html) a few years ago and who even [entered this year’s tourney](https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2023-march-madness-predictions/womens/) with only a 3 percent chance of cutting down the nets in Dallas. Despite a [massive edge](https://bigten.org/boxscore.aspx?id=JcLFfL9RUu0H5ystoOMbjYgeW0QoC6K0726uwp87noWJWXu73Dn8TzTNTUhf17%2FghtHeBXu8LIV9g80Zzus%2FCBNyw%2BrO0O1SIS%2B7RPHO6ySEsaEv7HLG47UWBzeMWYoKeJMPD8IbwQBkeUte7OG1gA%3D%3D&path=wbball) in second-chance points (24 to 8), South Carolina’s plus-10 advantage on 2-pointers couldn’t overcome its minus-14 deficit on threes and free throws in the four-point loss. But the Tigers also scored 20 points off of 2-pointers not in the paint, and went 11-for-17 (65 percent) on threes for good measure. In the end, this all helped LSU run up a massive plus-26-point edge over Iowa on 2-pointers and hold even on free throws, making the Hawkeyes’ 9-point advantage on threes moot. [LSU’s victory over Iowa](https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/matchup/_/gameId/401528028) in the women’s NCAA Tournament championship game Sunday — from the Tigers’ [first basketball title in school history](https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/36046402/lsu-ousts-iowa-mulkey-secures-fourth-ncaa-title) to Kim Mulkey’s [turnaround of the program](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/louisiana-state/women/) within two years of arriving in Baton Rouge, and forward Angel Reese’s ascendance to [first-team All-America status](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/angel-reese-1.html) immediately after transferring from Maryland. For one thing, it was hard to envision South Carolina ever losing to anybody; as part of its undefeated regular season, Dawn Staley’s team had [beaten LSU by 24 points](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/2023-02-12-14-south-carolina_w.html) in mid-February. Just like South Carolina, they outrebounded the Hawkeyes, doubling them up on the offensive glass, and [won the battle for points in the paint](https://hawkeyesports.com/boxscore/ncaa-national-championship-lsu/). [not let Iowa get away with the same game plan](https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/36031086/lsu-punish-iowa-disrespectful-defense) in the national title game — and the Tigers made good on that promise. [had a strong game](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/2023-04-02-15-iowa_w.html) (30 points on a .615 TS%, eight assists), her usage rate and assist rate were both down from their [absurd highs](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/2023-03-31-01-iowa_w.html) in the South Carolina game, and she was held to just one basket from inside the arc after making 10 against the Gamecocks. 1 South Carolina couldn’t [in its semifinal loss](https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/matchup/_/gameId/401528027) to Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes Friday night. [seemingly unbeatable Gamecocks](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/south-carolina/women/2023.html), Clark scored 41 points (on a scorching .606 true shooting percentage) and added eight assists as the Hawkeyes produced a 106.9 offensive rating — the [second-highest South Carolina had allowed](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/south-carolina/women/2023-gamelogs-advanced.html#sgl-advanced::8) all season. Iowa’s defense also forced South Carolina into [one of its worst offensive ratings](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/south-carolina/women/2023-gamelogs-advanced.html#sgl-advanced::7) of the year (101.4), mitigating the Gamecocks’ fearsome advantage inside and on the glass by holding them to just 7-for-33 shooting outside of the paint (including 4-for-20 on 3-pointers).

The national championship game between LSU and Iowa in the 2023 women's NCAA tournament was everything college basketball could have ever wanted.

With both Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark returning to school we might get to do this again next year, circling the date of when LSU and Iowa meet to see the next round in this rivalry. The Tigers were one of the best teams in the country, Caitlin Clark is the biggest star in the game, and more visibility than ever thanks to the mystique and allure provided by the Angel Reese vs. If you’re trying to bend over backwards to defend Clark while slamming Reese you are in serious need of introspection. So, when Reese dared to taunt Clark it rallied a very particular kind of person (read: assholes) to pick up sword and shield to decry Reese. Babe Ruth pointing to center field and calling a home run is venerated, but God-forbid a person of color flips a bat or the entire decorum of baseball is in tatters. These were two superstars, showing the swagger superstars show, and in the end Reese won this round, while Clark licked her wounds. As fans we marvel not only at their talents, but the drama and stories that unfold as a result. The Iowa phenom was infinitely more mature than the vapid-minded screaming about Reese on Twitter. The innate need to find a villain in every rivalry turned its sights on LSU vs. A venue where people can compete and showcase athletic excellence. People loved Clark’s swagger when she taunted Louisville while dropping 41 points, but when Reese did the exact same thing, suddenly the conversation devolved into how “disrespectful” Reese was, how “classless” she acted, how Reese didn’t “win with grace.” All the hits, now sung loudly by the same chorus who posted Clark’s preening over Louisville non-stop. It was another astonishingly good game by Clark overall, but Iowa just didn’t have the depth of talent behind Clark that LSU had with Alexis Morris, LaDazhia Williams and Flau’jae Johnson supporting Reese.

Caitlin Clark set record after record during the NCAA Tournament run for Iowa, though the Hawkeyes fell short in Sunday's championship game.

“I want my legacy to be the impact that I can have on young kids and the people in the state of Iowa, and I hope I brought them a lot of joy this season. With her points and assists, she had a hand in 63% of Iowa’s points in the tournament run. In the defeat, Clark put up a game-high 30 points and a team-high eight assists despite logging four personal fouls.