Caitlin Clark set a new NCAA all-time scoring record during Iowa's win over Ohio State on Sunday, surpassing the previous record that Pete Maravich set over 50 years ago during his time as an LSU Tiger.
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When current LSU Tigers women's basketball head coach Kim Mulkey was asked about her reaction to Clark breaking Maravich's record, the defending national champion asserted that these two all-time greats don't need to be compared.
LSU coach Kim Mulkey on Caitlin Clark surpassing Pete Maravich's NCAA Division I scoring mark. https://t.co/kwv4cEFvoQ pic.twitter.com/1lg3nMZR5y
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"I don't look at comparing apples to oranges," Mulkey said. "What [Caitlin] Clark has done is unbelievable, and her name will be right up there at the top. But [Maravich] played over here with no 3-point line three years, and I don't think we need to make too much of, 'Oh she passed him, because he's a man.'"
It's no doubt astounding that Maravich set the scoring record over three years — which was owed to the NCAA prohibiting freshmen from playing varsity college basketball back then — and did so so without a 3-point line.
It's also astounding that Clark has drained 509 three-pointers thus far in her four-year career, accounting for 1,527 of her 3,685 career points.
While Mulkey made sure to praise Maravich for his incredible accomplishments, she also gave Clark her well-deserved flowers.
"[Clark] is who she is, and that's awesome, and lord knows when I played against her I was like, 'Are you kidding me?'" Mulkey said. "What a generational talent."
"But I don't look at it like that," Mulkey said while putting one of her hands over another.
"I look at it like this, two separate things right there," she said while gesturing with her hands side by side, as if putting Clark and Maravich's accomplishments on equal footing.
Perhaps it's fair that Mulkey won't compare what Clark and Maravich have each accomplished. They're both bona fide legends of the game and have etched their respective names in the history books.
While Mulkey and Clark have only squared off once in her college career, it came during the 2023 NCAA national championship game — when Mulkey's LSU squad defeated Iowa, 102-85.
It's worth noting that both Maravich and Clark have never won an NCAA championship — Maravich never even made it to the NCAA Tournament.
Considering Iowa's current winning form, perhaps Clark will manage to set herself apart from Maravich in that regard by the time this season comes to a close.
