Basketball Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings, one of the legends of her game, has seen it all in the WNBA. She played for the Indiana Fever for 15 seasons, leading the team to the 2012 championship title as Finals MVP. A ten-time WNBA All-Star, she also won four Olympic gold medals with Team USA from 2004 to 2016.
So when Catchings calls something “unprecedented,” as she did in a phone interview Monday to describe this moment in the WNBA — with its epicenter right where she is, in Indianapolis — we can say with certainty that this is something the league has never seen before.
At this crucial time in the start of the 2024 season, with historic television ratings, attendance, interest and now controversy, Catchings spoke with USA TODAY Sports about a variety of topics, including Chennedy Carter’s blindside hit on Caitlin Clark in Indiana’s win over Chicago on Saturday, Angel Reese’s reaction to the foul, which was later improved to Flagrant 1, and how Clark adapted to the WNBA, and vice versa.
Catchings said she was in attendance Saturday at the Fever-Sky game where the controversial hit took place.
“The low blow, I don’t agree with that, I don’t agree with that, especially that’s where the injuries happen,” she said. “The play itself was fake. Overall, we all have a responsibility to ensure that such things do not happen and that anyone is hit like this.
“From a league perspective, you have to protect your players. The fact that the referees didn’t take the time to look during the match, I was really surprised. I was at the match. I was really surprised that they didn’t watch it and just kept moving it forward. It’s not a basketball game.
Catchings said she, too, was the target of low blows during her career.
“I remember the low blows, I remember being arrested,” she said. “It happens. So the reaction from some players is: ‘We played too, she and the other rookies still have to come and prove themselves’ – but not with low blows.
Angel Reese’s reaction to teammate Carter’s hit on Clark was captured by ESPN cameras. Reese immediately stood up and clapped, then hugged Carter when she got to the bench.
“I haven’t talked to Angel,” Catchings said. “I’m 100% sure that as a team within the organization, they’re talking about how they’re going to handle the situation and what they need to do internally.
“From Angel’s perspective, as from Caitlin’s, all eyes are looking at you. … Angel has to be herself, but there has to be a level of maturity on the part of all of our recruits, as you grow in this game and as you become more mature, you understand what is acceptable and what who is not. And you learn from the mistakes you make.
“I hope Angel has the right people around her who are like, hey, you know what, not cool there. And how do you adapt and learn from the situation.
Catchings, who said he told Clark, “If you need me, I’m here,” talks to him from time to time.
“Obviously Caitlin is a tremendous player, she’s coming into college football with a lot of success, I love her personality, I love who she is and I’m really happy to have her here in Indianapolis and I think that “She’ll have a great career here and in the WNBA,” Catchings said. “There’s a lot of weight on her shoulders and she’s handling it very well.
It saw the 22-year-old superstar face some of the most interesting reception in the WNBA.
“Every night the opponent’s game plan is structured around Caitlin Clark,” she said. “It’s huge. They keep her at the half-court line because she makes the logo 3. They guard her in the face, they get her at the free throw line on the defensive end. Every night she will be dialed from a single team, from a double team, from a triple team, from a quadruple team That’s a huge compliment.
With a talent like Clark, it makes sense, said Catchings, who was named WNBA Defensive Player of the Year five times.
“Every time a great player comes along, or someone that gets attention, even for me, the competitor in me comes out like it’s like every night when I played Diana (Taurasi), when I played Sue (Bird), my job, my mind and my responsibility was to make sure that I limit the hits and that they will not score as many points as whatever their average is. My goal was to make sure that they score. half of their average. That was my only goal, my mindset. Well, that will be the same goal of the players that Caitlin goes up against every day.
Ups and downs are expected
Although Indiana is 2-9 after a bruising start to 11 games in 20 days, including six against the league’s top three teams – by far the most grueling opening schedule of any team of the league – Catchings sees positives for Clark and the team.
In her first 10 games, Clark scored over 150 points and had over 50 rebounds and 50 assists, a feat previously accomplished only by Sabrina Ionescu in WNBA history. She also became the first rookie and only the fourth player in the league to record 30 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks in a game, joining Taurasi, Angel McCoughtry and Breanna Stewart. On Monday, she was named WNBA Rookie of the Month for May.
Clark is currently fourth in the league in assists per game, 18th in points per game and tied for second in three-pointers made. She also leads the league in turnovers.
“She’s been so comfortable with her varsity teammates that now Caitlin and her new teammates are trying to figure out how to play together,” Catchings said. “It’s the adjustment of coming into a totally different system, with a totally different coach and support staff. The only thing that is consistent is basketball. She knows how to play basketball. A lot of turnovers are adjusting to playing with her teammates and they are adjusting to her. She had a 30-point game and single-digit games. She had her ups and downs, but that was to be expected.
Learn to play as a team
The Fever players’ relative unfamiliarity with each other could also be why the “enforcer” that social media so desperately wants Indiana to have to protect Clark has not yet materialized, Catchings said.
“I look from the outside, but I would just say this: there have been injuries and very little training and they are still trying to learn with each other and they are still trying to learn how to play for each other. others, so when you talk about an enforcer, you apply because you are a team and you know and understand how to protect each other None of this is done without a team effort I think. that they are still trying to get there.
But there’s no doubt that Clark and crew are already enjoying complete box office success. In just five home games in 2024, Indiana has already surpassed its entire 2023 home attendance.
“People say, let me see what it’s all about,” Catchings said. “When you get to the arena, at Gainbridge, all the way to the top of the stadium is packed. We’re talking about regular season games, it’s crazy right now. Before, you could stop right before a match. Now this is no longer possible, the parking lots are full. All those license plates from Iowa, Illinois, even Tennessee: They’ve heard about Caitlin Clark and now they want to see her.