Caitlin clark won Fiba’s Tournament MVP & threw up the heisman to her haters

Caitlin Clark did the Heisman to her haters and made sure she got a brand new Tissot watch to let everyone know what time it was.

Before the tournament started and people questioned her game (as if we haven’t already watched this movie) Clark did what she does, dominate offensively and change the course of an entire game.

So instead of starting and punching in the mouth, Clark just went to Puerto Rico, came off the bench in four out of five games, averaged 11.6 points and a tournament-best 6.4 assists per game, led the United States to a 5-0 record and walked away with the tournament MVP trophy.

Eight months off, and fully rested with no nagging injuries stacked on top of each other anymore and she went to Puerto Rico and was the best player in the entire tournament.

The rust everyone was worried about? Never showed up. Against Senegal off the bench Clark went nuclear offensively and went 4-of-5 from three for 17 points, 12 assists in under 20 minutes.

Read that s**t again, 12 assists in under 20 minutes. The final was 110-46.

Sixty-four points. Sixty-four.

Senegal did not deserve that.

Nobody deserves that.

But here we are.

Let’s recap what the doubters were saying before this tournament. Is she healthy? Is she the same player? Can she perform on the international stage? Will the eight months off show?

Clark’s answer to all of that was a 5-0 record, a tournament MVP award, 50/40/85 shooting splits, leading the team in efficiency and finishing top three in plus-minus. She controlled tempo, created clean looks for everybody around her, still found her own offense whenever she needed it, and ran the whole operation like she’d been playing with these women for years instead of weeks.

The first double-double of the entire tournament? Clark. One of only four double-doubles recorded all week? Clark. Tournament leader in assists? Clark. Tournament MVP? Clark. Are we seeing a pattern here?

And the funniest part about all of this is she was coming off the bench. Off. The. Bench. She wasn’t even starting and she was still the most important player on the floor. Imagine what happens when she’s actually locked in and fully in rhythm. Imagine what Berlin looks like.
Actually don’t imagine it. Just watch it happen.

Kelsey Plum Said The Quiet Part Out Loud & She’s Right

Veteran Kelsey Plum, who was named to the all-tournament team because this roster is just built different, put her finger on exactly why Clark matters so much to this group going forward.

“WE JUST GOT TO CONTINUE TO GROW OUR CHEMISTRY, WHICH IS GOING TO BE A BIG FACTOR FOR THE WORLD CUP,” PLUM SAID.

And here’s the thing about USA Basketball that Plum also acknowledged, most international teams get to practice together, play together, build chemistry over an entire year. USA Basketball gets thrown together in high-pressure situations and expected to figure it out immediately

“A LOT OF THESE TEAMS GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTICE WITH EACH OTHER, PLAY WITH EACH OTHER YEAR-ROUND, AND WE ARE KIND OF PLAYING AGAINST EACH OTHER, AND THEN WE KIND OF GET PUT IN A SITUATION WHERE IT’S HIGH STAKES, HIGH PRESSURE, AND YOU REALLY HAVE TO FORM THAT CHEMISTRY,” PLUM SAID.

That’s exactly why having Clark running the show matters.

She organizes the floor. She makes the extra read.

Head coach Nate Tibbetts saw it all week.

 

“I WAS PLEASED WITH OUR BALL MOVEMENT. I THOUGHT WE DID A REALLY GOOD JOB OF MAKING THE EXTRA PASS. WE GOT SOME WIDE OPEN THREES. OBVIOUSLY, WE’RE SUPER TALENTED, BUT I LOVED HOW UNSELFISH WE WERE,” TIBBETTS SAID.

Unselfish. That’s the word right word because Clark averaged 6.4 assists per game coming off the bench and making everyone around her better. That is not a player who is trying to prove something. That is a player who is just built that way.

Berlin Is Next & The World Should Be Scared

Here’s what Puerto Rico actually was…a warmup.

A five-game chemistry session disguised as a qualifying tournament. USA was already in the World Cup. These games were about reps. About getting Clark, Reese, Bueckers and everyone else on the same page before the stakes get even higher in Berlin.

This warmup trip to San Juan produced a 5-0 record and a tournament MVP from someone eight months removed from a real game. Figure that one out.

Now all eyes are on Berlin is where she’s going to make everyone pay for ever doubting her in the first place….

…once again.