(DailyVantage.com) – Apparently, some people believe that a black male coach can make a positive difference in WNBA star rookie Caitlyn Clark’s career in the league.
Jason Whitlock, a sports commentator who has come out with a number of “hot takes” on the state of the WNBA and some of its players, said that Clark’s growth as a player is being hampered by Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides.
“The coach [Sides] is in over her head,” Whitlock said, adding that it was a “match made in hell” for Sides to be coaching not only Clark, but also the whole team, the vast majority of whom are black.
“It cannot work,” Whitlock said of the way the Indiana Fever is being coached right now.
The outspoken sports analyst also added that the Fever has made it “too easy” for opposing teams and their players to guard the star rookie, and criticized Clark’s propensity to attempt difficult 3-pointers from way outside the line.
Whitley also said that race is inevitably a challenge for Sides, whom he said could be concerned over centering a team strategy centering on Clark and be accused by the other black players on the team of being racist. A male black coach, however, Whitley said, would have no problems doing just that.
Whitley suggested that the Fever hire former NBA Golden State Warriors’ coach Mark Jackson, whom he believed would maximize Clark’s presence on the court.
Clark, however, is doing fairly well in her debut in the women’s basketball league so far, coming in 16th in the league in scoring, with an average of 16.2 points per game. Clark is also third in the league in assists, averaging 6.9 per game; and is also leading the league in three pointers, sharing third in the league overall with Sabrina Ionescu from the New York Liberty and Kelsey Plum from the Las Vegas Aces.
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