Comparing Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and LSU legend Pete Maravich

Two days earlier than Christmas 1969, Invoice Walton first noticed Pete Maravich in particular person.

A highschool senior from San Diego headed to hoops immortality at UCLA, Walton watched at Pauley Pavilion because the LSU legend went by way of his pregame warmup drills.

“He was a genius,” Walton instructed ESPN. “And as is commonly the case with geniuses, they get bored in a short time. So he was continually difficult himself. He was a showman, and he cherished the present.”

Walton understands why folks see similarities between Maravich and Iowa girls’s school basketball star Caitlin Clark, who’s closing in on passing Maravich for the Division I males’s and ladies’s scoring mark. Maravich scored 3,667 factors from 1967-70; Clark is at 3,650. She enters Sunday’s regular-season finale at house in opposition to Ohio State simply 18 points shy of breaking the report.

“Once I watch her play, which is as typically as doable, it simply places a large smile on my face,” Walton mentioned. “The great thing about basketball is that it isn’t all about measurement and energy. It is about talent, timing and place, and she or he has all of that stuff and extra. She awes folks together with her creativeness and creativity. She makes it enjoyable.”

Maravich was born in 1947 and died at age 40 in 1988, 14 years earlier than Clark was born. In that point, the world of basketball expanded enormously, together with the modern-day girls’s sport. Maravich’s school profession got here earlier than freshman eligibility, so he performed simply three seasons — 83 whole video games — at LSU. Earlier than the 3-point shot and the shot clock, Maravich averaged 38.1 photographs and 44.2 factors per sport. Clark, a senior, has averaged 19.9 photographs and 28.3 factors in 129 profession video games.

Walton mentioned statistical comparisons between completely different eras in sports activities are problematic due to all of the variables. However what gamers can imply to a sport, and the way they make folks really feel whereas watching them are extra comparable.

“Caitlin is a type of uncommon forces of nature that when she’s enjoying, you can not take your eyes off her as a result of she’s simply transferring on this sleek and productive method,” Walton mentioned. “She’s additionally a results of the evolutionary course of from the late ’60s and early ’70s, when girls began to be empowered to play aggressive sports activities. An entire lot of foundational gamers have come earlier than her.”

That included stars similar to Walton’s fellow Bruin Ann Meyers, the sister of his UCLA teammate Dave Meyers, and AIAW star Lynette Woodard, who held the most important school report of three,649 factors earlier than Clark handed the Kansas legend Wednesday.

Like Maravich, Clark — who has 1,049 assists — isn’t just a scorer however an offensive artist.

“I would examine Pete to the nice chess gamers within the historical past of the world,” Walton mentioned. “Pete might management himself, the ball and the opposite 9 gamers on the ground.”

Within the NBA, Walton performed in opposition to Maravich. The New Orleans Jazz’s first victory as a franchise got here Nov. 10, 1974, as Maravich led the best way in opposition to Walton, then a rookie, and the Portland Trail Blazers. Walton nonetheless remembers each element of Maravich dribbling by way of the protection to hit a turnaround, twisting fadeaway leap shot for the successful basket.

“One of many nice issues about the very best of the very best gamers like Pete and Caitlin is that they play the sport on the run,” Walton mentioned. “They are not utilizing a bodily benefit to maneuver their opponents out of the best way. They are not that huge. However no one can cease them.

“If you consider nice scientists or musicians or stage performers — no matter it was they did, they simply captivated everybody else’s consideration. That is what Pete Maravich did fairly a number of years in the past. That is what Caitlin Clark is doing proper now.”

And although greater than 50 years have handed, there are similarities of their video games. — Michael Voepel

Scoring and capturing: Buckets, a whole lot of buckets

Maravich performed at LSU for his father, Peter “Press” Maravich, throughout a interval from 1967-70 when freshmen weren’t eligible for varsity. Maravich is called the scoring king of NCAA basketball with 3,667 factors. He took practically 40 photographs and 14 free throws per sport throughout his profession and had the best scoring common (44.5 factors per sport) ever in a single season as a senior and the best profession scoring common (44.2) in NCAA historical past. Maravich additionally owns the report for many 50-point video games (28) and 40-point video games (58).

These numbers are wonderful contemplating Maravich had solely three years to perform his information. There was additionally no shot clock, which means groups held the ball and accrued fewer possessions in a sport.

Maravich had a present of creating powerful photographs look simple. He might end on the basket with a double-pump layup or hit a working hook shot, which was distinctive to his sport. His pull-up jumper was deadly in transition in addition to the half courtroom. His long-range jumper — a 3-pointer in in the present day’s sport — had exacting vary. Maravich was at all times on the assault, but completely beneath management.

It is laborious to know the place to start out with Clark as a result of she impacts the sport in so some ways. Her capability to shoot (and make with ease) from deep jumps off the web page. Clark creates 51 factors per sport, the best utilization fee in school basketball, and is within the 98th percentile in effectivity. Roughly 59 p.c of Clark’s photographs come from behind the arc. She makes 42% of her pull-up 3-pointers and 38% of her catch-and-shoot 3s with a median distance of 25 toes, 9 inches, in accordance with Synergy Sports activities.

Clark has an actual probability to guide the nation in scoring for the third time in 4 years. The scouting report would not even matter most video games — Clark will discover a approach to get to her numbers. Opposing defenses can solely hope to make it harder — even a box-in-one fails to sluggish Clark.

LSU affiliate head coach Bob Starkey confronted Clark final 12 months within the NCAA championship and detailed the difficulties in game-planning for the Iowa star.

“Caitlin has nice carry on her shot with a really fast launch and limitless vary and accuracy,” he mentioned. “There isn’t a wasted motion in her shot or sport. She has an attractive shot — until you are the one who should put together for it.”

Clark’s step-back jumper is her calling card. She shoots the ball with nice vary and precision off the catch and with a quick-rhythm dribble.

Some say she’s the Stephen Curry of girls’s basketball.

“Her compact capturing is up and out with a fast launch. She has unbelievable distance,” mentioned Curry’s coach, Brandon Payne. “One motive is, she has tight, repeatable mechanics and shoots by way of her core and wrist. She lives in her work. It exhibits in her consolation and confidence stage capturing the ball.” — Paul Biancardi

Passing: Making magic with the ball

Clark is the primary participant to eclipse 3,000 factors and 1,000 assists. She leads the nation with 8.7 assists per sport — with 16 video games with double-digit assists this season — and led all gamers with 8.6 per sport a 12 months in the past. Clark has the distinctive alternative to guide the nation in passing for 3 consecutive years.

She’s maybe the very best passer in school basketball as a result of she creates gravity on the ground. Which means nobody calls for extra consideration than Clark, who generally has all 5 opposing defenders solely concentrating on stopping her. This enables her to navigate and exploit her opponents.

Her thought course of, passing imaginative and prescient and accuracy beneath strain are so superior. She has had some high-turnover video games however that comes with being the focus of opponents’ scouting experiences.

LSU coach Kim Mulkey, a former level guard who has received NCAA titles as a participant and head coach, mentioned Clark is “going to get her factors.”

“However essentially the most spectacular factor to me — now that you simply’re speaking to an previous level guard — is she makes everyone round her higher. You’ve nice gamers that may get numbers, however she makes others on her group higher,” Mulkey mentioned on the 2023 girls’s Remaining 4. “Simply the issues she’s able to doing — one minute you suppose you are going to guard her a sure method, you then watch the movie and alter your thoughts and go, ‘Oh, that is not going to work.'”

She won’t essentially have Maravich’s flashiness, however it’s an enchanting comparability.

“She’s an impressive passer who is 2 steps forward of everybody,” mentioned former Division I head coach Marlene Stollings, who can also be the all-time chief in highschool scoring in Ohio with 3,514 factors. “She places the ball the place her teammates needs to be, which is uncommon. She needs to be a WNBA All-Star. She’s not as fancy as Pistol Pete, however she will be able to thread the needle and join.”

Maravich was often called “Houdini” round campus as a freshman at LSU. He made magic-like passes with flare. His unusual imaginative and prescient and uncanny passing fashion made it nearly unattainable for defenders to anticipate the place the ball was headed. Maravich is No. 4 in LSU historical past with 5.1 assists per sport.

It was important for Maravich’s teammates to remain alert with their heads up and arms prepared always. He’d discover them outrunning opponents, slicing to the basket or coming open from screens, even when it required an unorthodox supply. Maravich made the no-look help look simple. He was a grasp at drawing defenders together with his eyes and snapping a move in the wrong way. Maravich was a crowd favourite whether or not at house or on the street, very like Clark. — Biancardi

Ballhandling: The artwork of manipulation

Maravich was a uniquely gifted ball handler. He devoted his life to infinite stationary and motion drills to turn into one of many biggest ball handlers ever. The basketball turned an extension of his hand due to his exceptional hand-eye coordination and very fast arms. His impression prolonged far past his enjoying days.

“Pistol Pete impressed me at a younger age to suppose exterior the field and be artistic in my coaching,” Payne mentioned.

Maravich dribbled circles round defenders with excellent dexterity and will go behind his again whereas displaying a clean change of substances. He was thrilling to play with and troublesome to defend one-on-one. He might get to any spot on the ground at a second’s discover due to his creativity and drill work. Maravich was a real wizard with the ball.

Equally, Clark spent numerous hours with a basketball in her arms rising up. She did each drill possible. Movies from her childhood present her unmatched confidence with the ball in her arms. Clark reads the ground exceptionally properly and is aware of the place to go along with the dribble. She has full management. There is a goal to each probing dribble whether or not she’s transferring in a straight line or altering path in tight locations. Clark manipulates defenses together with her ballhandling.

Clark will encounter greater and higher defenders when she heads to the WNBA, however she’ll even have extra space on the courtroom enjoying with different professionals. Clark is a artistic ball handler. She won’t be as flamboyant as Maravich, however she’s simply as efficient. — Biancardi