Angel Reese, Geno Auriemma and Caitlin Clark. Credits: USA TODAY Sports

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are on track to becoming All-Stars just a few months into their pro careers. Both cracked the top-10 rankings in All-Star votes, a testament to their rising popularity. UConn HC Geno Auriemma believes the duo’s popularity however unwarranted, ultimately benefits the women’s game. He also warned fans against mistaking popularity for performance.

During the recent Aspen Ideas Festival, NCAA star coaches, Auriemma and Kim Mulkey, appeared as guest panelists and spoke on the rise of women’s basketball. The names of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese were constants throughout the talk, and Auriemma even made a pertinent observation.

The 70-year-old coach declared Clark and Reese as two of the most popular players but pointed out that skill-wise, they weren’t there yet. Auriemma further added,

“[Caitlin] and Angel Reese are not the two best players in the WNBA, but they’re the two most talked about players in the WNBA right now. If you’re one of the players… you can moan and groan about why weren’t they talking about me when I was here… or you can just appreciate what it is and take advantage of it now.” 

While addressing the senior players of the WNBA, the Huskies head coach seemed to be sending a clear message. Use the fame, and improve your skills.

The veteran coach also called out the media in promoting Clark and Reese, claiming that in due time, the hype train will fade and everything will come down to the game once again.

And similar to everyone else, if either Clark or Reese doesn’t perform, they too will be shipped out of the league. But from the looks of it, the duo is here to stay, as they are already fighting over the Rookie of The Year Award.

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark are neck to neck in ROTY battle

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark didn’t have the greatest starts to their WNBA careers. However, over the last 10 games, the duo has covered significant ground, especially in the case of Clark. The Iowa native initially struggled with the physicality of the game and found it difficult to knock down threes. But ever since Clark found her rhythm, it has been game over for the league.

In the duo’s recent matchup, Clark assisted on 13 buckets, the most in franchise history. Besides, CC recently became the fastest to 50 threes in the league, even placing fifth overall so far in total three-pointers made for the season.

Reese, on the other hand, has dominated the board, as the former LSU star is now only a game shy of tying the league’s single-season double-double record.

Such performances have put the duo on the map, and now Clark and Reese will go face-to-face for the title of ROTY. With the previous leader, Cameron Brink now out with a torn ACL, the competition seems to have narrowed down to the former NCAA rivals. CBS Sports even had Reese at #1 ahead of Clark, and for now, it looks like these two will keep exchanging spots on the list as the season moves on.