Indiana Fever’s rookie star Caitlin Clark shrugs off an apology from Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter after a controversial foul, emphasizing her team’s progress and competitive spirit.
Indiana Fever rookie star Caitlin Clark stated she is not expecting an apology from Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter, who hip-checked her during their game on Saturday. The foul on Carter was subsequently upgraded to a Flagrant 1, garnering significant nationwide attention.
“No, I mean basketball is competitive, I get it,” Clark responded when asked if she believes Carter owes her a public apology. “Sometimes your emotions get the best of you. It’s happened to me multiple times throughout the course of my career. People are competitive and it is what it is.”
Clark redirected the conversation to commend Carter’s season instead of focusing on last Saturday’s incident. Carter, in her fourth year with the Sky, is averaging 13.9 points off the bench and shooting a career-high 53 percent from the field.
“She’s having a tremendous season, she’s played great basketball in my eyes and is probably in first place for Sixth Player of the Year, she’s been great off the bench for them,” Clark said.
Questions about Carter’s foul have been directed at Chicago players and coaches all week. Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon mentioned on Monday that the play was “not appropriate,” and on Wednesday, several players reported incidents of harassment as they exited their team bus in Washington D.C.
“That’s just not where my focus is, that’s not what I think about on a day-to-day basis,” Clark said about the foul. “I think about my team, I think about ways that I can get better. It’s just basketball at the end of the day, there’s no grudges, there’s nothing like that. It’s a sport, it’s competitive, it’s not going to be nice all the time, that’s not what basketball is, and I think people that play at the highest level understand that.”
Clark emphasized her focus on her team’s performance rather than dwelling on the incident. The Fever improved to 3-9 on Friday night with a narrow 85-83 victory over the winless Washington Mystics.
After scoring only three points against the New York Liberty on Sunday, Clark rebounded with 30 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Her 30 points tied her career high, and her seven 3-pointers were the most in her young career.
“Just keep shooting, that’s what shooters do,” Clark said about overcoming recent struggles after starting the game with a pair of misses. “I thought my teammates set really good screens and I think that just shows when you set and when you screen, no matter what you’re running, even if the other team knows it can still be really effective.
“I was just able to create off of those, and as a shooter once you see one, two go in, the basket just looks bigger and bigger.”
Before Friday’s game, Clark acknowledged her shooting struggles but praised the team’s growth and increasing chemistry.
She mentioned adjusting to the losing has been challenging, noting that the Fever are the most inexperienced team in the league.
“It can just be tough at times when you don’t always have the experience,” she said. “But I think one of the biggest positives over the course of these first 11 games is the energy about this group. It’s the same exact (energy) as when we played our first game, there’s a positive attitude every day that we show up and we truly believe every single game we’re going into we’re going to win.”
During her four years with Iowa, the Hawkeyes never lost more than 10 games in a season, a figure she’s already approaching in her rookie season with Indiana.
Clark also mentioned working on breaking old habits from college and developing new ones to align with the Fever’s defensive strategy.
“Overall, I think I’ve played good basketball,” Clark said.
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