Breanna Stewart on Caitlin Clark needing national title for resume: 'Yeah, she does'

If there’s one thing Breanna Stewart knows how to do, it’s win. She helped UConn to a four-peat during her time in Storrs before heading to the New York Liberty and winning two more championships, not to mention two MVP awards.

That makes her the perfect person to weigh in on the debate around Iowa star Caitlin Clark. One of the biggest – and probably only – criticisms of her resume is that she doesn’t have a national title to her name. If Clark wants to be considered “one of the greats,” as SiriusXM College’s Nicole Auerbach asked, Stewart made her stance quite clear.

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"Does Caitlin Clark need a championship to be considered one of the greats in women's college basketball history?" – @NicoleAuerbach

"Yeah. She does." – @breannastewart

Live @WFinalFour Coverage: https://t.co/nV1komI7dD pic.twitter.com/ZkfXGfudRH

— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) April 5, 2024

“Yeah. She does,” Stewart said. “I think so.”

Clark’s list of achievements speaks for itself. She not only passed Kelsey Plum to break the NCAA women’s all-time scoring record this season, but also moved past “Pistol” Pete Maravich for the Division I men’s and women’s record. She also broke the NCAA’s all-time three-pointers record to cement her status as the No. 1 overall pick in this month’s WNBA Draft.

Last year, Clark and Iowa fell just short of the goal of winning a title. The Hawkeyes fell to LSU in Dallas in the championship game, but are now back in the Final Four this year, taking on UConn Friday night to try and return to the title game.

If Clark and the Hawkeyes can get to the mountaintop this year, Stewart said that cements her resume as one of the greatest to ever do it. But without a title, she wondered what those records would look like when fans look back on Clark’s decorated career.

“Because then, you’re gonna look 10 years back and you’re gonna see all the records she’s broken and the points and stuff like that,” Stewart said. “But anybody knows your goal when you play college basketball is to win a national championship. So, you need one.”

Caitlin Clark’s next step toward bringing home a ring gets underway Friday night when her Hawkeyes take on Paige Bueckers and UConn in Cleveland. That will be the second game of Friday’s slate, following South Carolina vs. NC State to get things underway.

Regardless, though, Clark has certainly left her mark on the game. Viewership has skyrocketed – including Iowa’s Elite Eight victory, which became ESPN’s most-watched college basketball game ever – and ticket prices have also increased for this year’s Final Four.