Geno Auriemma's Prediction About Caitlin Clark Struggling As A WNBA Rookie Has Aged Like Milk

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Plenty of basketball fans had questions about how Caitlin Clark's game would translate professionally as a WNBA rookie after she was drafted with the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft. Fans having doubts about Clark as a rookie is one thing, but looking back at Geno Auriemma's predictions for Clark, he may have had the worst take of anyone in the sport.

Back in June, when Clark had 11 WNBA games under her belt, the UConn women's basketball coach joined ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ to share his thoughts about the former Iowa star's brief time in the league and what he thought was headed her way for the remainder of the season.

Auriemma did not take aim at Clark or her abilities on the court, but rather the perception around her and her game created by a "delusional fanbase" that was "saying she's going to go in that league and tear it apart."

In other words, fans who thought that Clark was going to immediately be one of the best players in the WNBA as a rookie were dumb, according to Auriemma's logic.

"These people are so disrespectful, and so unknowledgeable, and so stupid that it gives women's basketball a bad name … the kid was set up for failure right from the beginning," Auriemma told Patrick.

While Auriemma's comments came when Clark was still getting her feet wet in the WNBA, if we look at what Clark has accomplished this season, the only delusional person in this equation is Auriemma himself.

Caitlin Clark is already considered by many to be the face of the WNBA. It's Clark, A'ja Wilson, and then everyone else.

Clark has played in just 34 games in the WNBA, and these are just a few of the accolades she's already earned: first WNBA rookie to record two triple-doubles in a season, first Indiana Fever player to ever record a triple-double, WNBA single-season rookie record for both three-pointers and assists, and the WNBA single-game record for assists.

Clark has also helped push the Fever to already punching a ticket to the playoffs despite the team getting off to a 1-8 start to the season.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.