'I was just trying to get to the handshake line'
Caitlin Clark had salt rubbed in her wound Sunday afternoon in Dallas.
Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes fell one victory shy of winning the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, as Kim Mulkey’s LSU Tigers came out on top in the National Championship Game. And as the ladies from Baton Rouge put the finishing touches on their title triumph, Angel Reese heightened the drama by taunting arguably the best player in women’s college basketball.
With LSU’s victory all but sealed, Reese stuck it to Clark by pointing at her ring finger — signaling the championship jewelry the Tigers were about to receive — and busting out some “you can’t see me” waves. The second gesture was one Clark herself busted out during Iowa’s Elite Eight win over Louisville.
After the game, Clark was asked about Reese’s taunts.
“Honestly, I have no idea,” Clark told reporters. “I was just trying to get to the handshake line and shake hands and, you know, be grateful that my team was in that position. That’s all you can do — hold your head high, be proud of what you did. All of the credit in the world to LSU, they were tremendous. They deserve it. They had a tremendous season. Kim Mulkey coached them so, so well. She’s one of the best basketball coaches of all time and it shows. She only said really kind things to me in the handshake line, so I’m very grateful for that.
“But honestly, I have no idea. I was just trying to spend the last few moments on the court with, especially the five people that I started 93 games with and relishing every second of that.”
Reese, a sophomore, will be a major piece of LSU’s plans next season when the Tigers defend their national title. As for Clark, the 2023-24 campaign will mark her last shot at claiming college’s ultimate prize before she heads off to the professional ranks.