Iowa Coach Downplays Caitlin Clark Breaking Pete Maravich's Scoring Record, Makes It All About Gender

Over the past few weeks, Iowa star Caitlin Clark has broken several college basketball scoring records, and during the Hawkeyes' regular-season finale on Sunday, she broke the all-time scoring record in both the men's and women's game at the NCAA Division I level by surpassing Pete Maravich in the history books. 

After surpassing each scoring milestone, Clark has rightfully been celebrated, yet after literally becoming the greatest scorer in the history of college basketball, Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder wants to pump the brakes when it comes to celebrating Clark breaking Maravich's record of 3,667 points.

Why? Well, because Maravich is a man, of course.

Following her team's 93-83 win over Ohio State, Bluder reflected on Clark becoming the sport's all-time leading scorer and elected to go down the path of explaining how women don't have to break records held by a man to "to be recognized" in one of the most-delusional statements a coach has said in quite some time.

"To me, you don't have to break a man's record to be recognized, you don't have to do that, "Bluder said. "Breaking Lynette (Woodard's) record was significant. So, to me, eh. I admire ‘Pistol Pete,' but at the same time, I just don't want that to be the bar for women's athletics."

Bluder has had a front-row seat to every single one of Clark's accomplishments and shattering of records. For her to insinuate that Clark may not have been fully recognized by some for surpassing records held by Kelsey Plum or Woodard simply because they are women is laughable. 

Clark has been the most-covered player in the history of women's college basketball and garnered the most coverage of a college player, male or female, since Zion Williamson was playing at Duke and exploding out of his shoes.

Bluder's comment about not wanting Maravich's record to "be the bar" was even more odd.

Unfortunately for Bluder, she doesn't get to set the bar, Pete Maravich set it by scoring 3,667 points in his career in an era without a three-point line. Clark has now taken ownership of that bar, something no other player in over 50 years was able to accomplish. But since Maravich is a man, we shouldn't let the standard be the standard, apparently.

Bluder picking and choosing which broken records to celebrate based on gender is bizarre. Instead of applauding Clark for becoming the all-time leading scorer in the sport she's coached for 40 years, she's trying to divide records into gender categories despite Clark owning all of them.

Instead of the mainstream media driving a gender knife right through the center of the Clark storyline, her coach did it for them.