“Just special for me to be in the same area as them.” As per ESPN, that was the response of NCAA icon Caitlin Clark when she surpassed Kelsey Mitchell in the list of all-time women NCAA basketball point scorers. Clark pivoted her way to second place with a brilliant 35 points against the Northwestern Wildcats. With 3,424 points, Clark is now only some 103 points away from the points leader Kelsey Plum.

Taking cognizance of her achievement, sports journalist Stephen A. Smith was asked about Clark’s bright future in college basketball and if she would be recalled as the greatest college basketball player ever. Smith’s answer delighted all Caitlin Clark fans.

What did Smith exactly say?

A reverent Smith kept Clark in high regard on the ESPN show ‘First Take’, praising her gaming skill and comparing her to the NBA Superstar Stephen Curry. “I definitely think she’s able to be the greatest scorer of all time. I’m sure Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper, and other people like that have something to say about whether she’s the greatest player. But she’s absolutely phenomenal. She is the Steph Curry of women’s basketball,” Smith stated.

Smith recalled a personal meeting with Clark and hailed her humility. “I’ve said that for the last year. Had the pleasure to meet her and know her and do an event with her – wonderful young lady. I think she works on her game constantly and there are people that are speculating whether what she is doing now, she’s not gonna on the WNBA level. We’ll see because the one thing that I know… When you can shoot that travels to any level,” Smith quipped giving an answer to all critics.

Notably, Curry is known for his exceptional three-pointer skills. He is the go-to player for the Golden State Warriors whenever they find themselves screened by defenders since the ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’ can pot logo threes and mid-range three-pointers much like Clark. Curry has an exemplary 40.9% three-pointer percentage this year. Clark too has approached those numbers with a 40.1% three-pointer percentage in the same time. This comparison all the more solidifies Clark’s parallels with Curry.

Other than that Clark averages a humongous 32.1 points per game this season with 7.7 assists per outing. It adds more credibility to Clark’s gameplay as she is the central figure in the Iowa Hawkeyes squad. She is not only an efficient scorer but also extremely selfless with her assisting skills.

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But one point of concern raised by her critics is that if the 22-year-old will take forward her one-man show to the WNBA. And Smith, with his answer, put an end to the discussion from his side. But some other veterans have raised doubts.

What did Sheryl Swoopes say?

Meanwhile, WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes has raised questions regarding Clark. Not overlooking her astounding balling finesse, Swoopes expects Clark to be a “good pro” player. But in the same breath, Swoopes has also warned fans about putting extreme hopes on Clark since it will take the latter some time to adjust to the highest level before she replicates her spectacular performances. “Will Caitlin Clark come into the WNBA and do what she’s doing right now immediately? Absolutely not, not gonna happen,” Swoopes remarked as per Marca.com.

Hopefully, Clark will be looking at these comments making her feel all the more confident, while her fans eagerly wait for her WNBA debut.

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