Dawn Staley Praises Iowa Star Caitlin Clark in National Championship Victory Speech: ‘You Are One of the GOATs of Our Game’

South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley used her victory speech after the national championship to thank Iowa star Caitlin Clark.

The Gamecocks beat the Hawkeyes 87-75 in the national championship to cap off a perfect 38-0 season. Amid the celebrations, Staley praised Clark — the consensus no. 1 pick in April 15th’s WNBA Draft — for the attention she brought to women’s basketball.

“I have to congratulate Iowa on an incredible season. Awesome,” Staley said. “And I wanna personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport. She carried a heavy load for our sport and it just is not gonna stop here on a collegiate tour; but when she is the no. 1 in the WNBA Draft, she’s gonna lift that league up, as well. So Caitlin Clark, if you’re out there, you are one of the GOATs of our games and we appreciate you.”

As Staley mentioned, Clark cemented her legacy this season as one of the greatest players in the history of college basketball. In addition to breaking the Division I all-time scoring record, Clark brought more eyes to the sport than ever before thanks to her impressive shooting displays. The Elite Eight matchup against LSU — a rematch of 2023’s national championship — was the most-watched women’s college basketball game of all time. That record only stood for a few days until Clark’s team took on the University of Connecticut in the Final Four.

Watch above via ABC