Even though they’re rivals on the court—Paidge Bueckers and Caitlin Clark are two of the most devastating scorers in women’s basketball history—the UConn standout claims that their relationship is perfect outside of practice. The impact that Clark has had on the game in terms of popularity during her debut season with the Indiana Fever in the WNBA has left Bueckers quite impressed. After a 1-9 start with an inexperienced roster, the Fever have won five of their last eight games, thanks in large part to Clark’s 16.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game.

We are talking about elite basketball here… “We are grateful for all the new viewers that Caitlin has brought to the game,” Bueckers stated on Saturday, as reported by The Hartford Courant. Because of this, many other people’s interest in the game is piqued as we watch her. In my opinion, the game is really taking off. The (WNBA) is getting a lot of attention because of how fantastic it is, how talented the players are, and how many stars there are. That’s amazing. The first-year class is thriving. It is entertaining to observe the level of skill. UConn head coach Geno Auriemma maintained his stance before the Huskies’ Final Four losses to Clark and top-seeded Iowa, calling Bueckers the “best player in America” early in the season.

“I didn’t realize I was causing a stir,” Auriemma remarked just before last season’s Final Four, when UConn defeated Duke and USC. I wager that USC would deny that Caitlin is the nation’s top player if you were to ask them. If you were to poll LSU, I’d be surprised if they claimed Caitlin was the top player in the nation. You Texans probably wouldn’t say that. Instead of being the second-to-last player selected in the WNBA Draft, Bueckers, who was among the tournament’s leading scorers this spring, declared her intention to return to the Huskies for another season.

“If you go by stats, if you go by efficiency, if you go by the entire box score and what she means to our team, I think she’s done more for our team than anybody,” stated Auriemma. “I wouldn’t trade her for anybody else.”Given her history of recruiting for UConn, this is quite personal for Clark. During the spring, she admitted that the fact that Auriemma and her “dream school” had not extended an invitation to her, despite her high school stardom, was still bothering her.