“Your philosophy in basketball will get you to a certain point. After that, you need individuals to take you to the next step.” This quote from 11x National Championship-winning head coach Geno Auriemma is a reflection of how the Hall of Fame coach sees the sport—prioritizing the importance of systems, emphasizing that individual talent is only the next step in making all the difference. Caitlin Clark’s arrival has shown the basketball world just how powerful one individual’s influence can be. Despite the undeniable Caitlin Clark effect, however, Auriemma believes true growth in the sport requires more than just one star— rather needs a thorough systematic approach.

The UConn Huskies head coach appeared on a podcast where he discussed how popularity surged in men’s basketball and how the same phenomenon is now spilling over into the women’s game. While comparing the two, Auriemma couldn’t help but share his honest thoughts on how individual personalities can boost the league’s visibility, but sustaining that popularity in the long run requires something more.

Geno Auriemma highlights the alternatives rather than relying on the “Caitlin Clark effect”

“The point is where are we going next and if we think that you know, one kid you know, one Caitlin Clark is going to be enough to take this where it needs to go, it’s not. Or one Paige Bueckers, it’s not. What they do is they show you the way, they show you what’s possible, and then the people that run the operation have to now capitalize on it, and then the younger generation, the high school people have to prepare these kids, so that when they get to college, we have something good to work with, and then we send them up to the WNBA and then they have something good to work with,” Auriemma explained on Make a Difference with Phil Martelli.

There’s no denying that the WNBA, despite the recent surge in popularity driven by Caitlin Clark, is still far from reaching the heights of the NBA. The numbers tell the story: the recent WNBA Finals, one of the most-watched in the league’s history, drew 3.1 million viewers on ESPN for Game 5. To put that into perspective, the 2024 NBA Finals, even with a slight dip in viewership, had averaged more than three times that WNBA number across the series, with 11.3 million viewers.

As Auriemma pointed out, while authorities must capitalize on the current surge in interest, Caitlin Clark herself had echoed a similar sentiment earlier. “Just how it’s evolved and in such a short period of time, I think shows everyone, you know, there are real opportunities here and there has been opportunity. So I think that’s what so exciting. So the more we can continue to expand that,” the reigning ROTY had said earlier.

Moreover, since the UConn coach’s words also suggested a stronger grassroots foundation, with a focus on training players from a young age, both the NBA and WNBA took a significant step forward by launching a national network of youth basketball leagues in 2022. This initiative aimed to expand recreational basketball across the country, improving not just the effectiveness of the leagues but also the gameplay, as well as player and coach development both on and off the court.

Nevertheless, the league’s popularity is only expected to boom with the addition of Auriemma’s trainee Paige Bueckers joining the pro stage next year. However, regarding this as well, the head coach’s concern remained the same as he had even mentioned Bueckers’ name while highlighting individual influence not being enough to sustain the league’s long-term growth.

While Auriemma focuses on the need for better training and a more proactive approach from league officials, there’s another figure, with whom Auriemma doesn’t always see eye to eye, who has also weighed in on the WNBA’s struggle with popularity. This person, however, places the blame elsewhere.

Candace Parker blamed inefficient coverage for low WNBA popularity

“I don’t like him, he doesn’t like me. We don’t like each other,” the retired WNBA legend Candace Parker had said on her dynamics with Geno Auriemma earlier during her playing career. Yet, she expressed a similar concern about the league’s visibility being less before Clark’s arrival, only her reasons for the league’s struggles differed from Auriemma’s perspective.

The former Los Angeles Sparks star credited superstars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese for driving the rising interest in the WNBA as they make their mark in the league. However, she believes that the networks responsible for broadcasting the WNBA during her playing years didn’t do the league—or its past stars—any justice.

“[The WNBA] is 28 years young. There a lot of leagues that it took to year 30 to really make a growth, so it’s coming. The crazy think that I think, it’s little fixes. And this is where my role is, is to question and to push and to encourage. ABC, the first time they put the Women’s NCAA game on ABC was the first year that Caitlin Clark made the championship game. Are you surprised that the viewership was up? Are you surprised that people actually saw the product? It was buried for so long on ESPN,” mentioned Parker recently.

She also pointed out how the rise of streaming and social media is making women’s basketball more accessible than ever, and it’s happening just as the league is welcoming its biggest stars. While Parker’s perspective on the matter doesn’t fully align with Auriemma’s, they do share a common frustration.

“You couldn’t even watch the game live all right so there were a lot of great players and no one saw them play,” the UConn head coach had stated in the same podcast while explaining viewership dynamics which can echo Parker’s frustration with league’s inefficient broadcasting.

Regardless of whether you side with Auriemma or Parker, one thing is clear: the Caitlin Clark effect is undeniable. However, both of the legend’s sentiments suggest that to sustain this momentum and elevate the game further, it’s crucial for the league and everyone involved in basketball to keep pushing forward. The key is to continue developing young talent and capitalizing on the influence of the current stars to ensure lasting growth.