Underneath the You Can’t See Me Drama

Not sure if it was coach Kim Mulkey pushing the right buttons, or if it originated LSU player Alexis Morris, in a Jordan-esque level of psychological alchemy, but it’s clear that the LSU players came into the game already feeling disrespected by Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. LSU used Clark’s previous antics as a source of motivation and focus. It’s like they believed Clark had gestured to and insulted them personally, saying you can’t guard me, and you can’t shoot. A brilliant bit of inspiration.

One can imagine Kim Mulkey in practice yelling, “she doesn’t think you can guard her. She thinks she’s better than you. She doesn’t think you can shoot. Did you see the way she waved you off, saying you’re nothing.” Or maybe it came from the players. Remember Alexis Morris saying before the game, “I don’t think you can just leave me open on the perimeter. Me personally, I find it very disrespectful, so I’m going to take that personally going into the game.”

After the title game Morris said: “Caitlin, you had an amazing game, you’re a great player, but you got to put respect on LSU. You got to put some respect on my name.”

When Caitlin Clark appropriated the wrestler John Cena gesture in the Stanford game, she was on fire from the outside. A cocky gesture for sure, that arouse the game’s soil.

The I’m not guarding you wave vs. South Carolina was most certainly disrespectful, and perhaps by design. To an outsider it seemed unnecessary. But maybe Clark was trying to mess with the head of the South Carolina players, psyche them out, get them overthinking, like an NBA player grabbing his throat, making the choke sign, before an opponent shoots a clutch free throw.

What Clark was not bracing for was that her heat-of-the-battle gestures from previous games would carry over to a future game, that the gestures would provide a psychological edge to LSU.

LSU had several players who had games worthy of Sena’s you can’t see me gesture: Jasmine Carson had an unbelievable first half. Has there ever been a better performance off the bench in a title game? She outdid Harold Jensen’s electric `85 gem, scoring 22 of LSU’s record 59 first half points. And Alexis Morris scored or assisted on 27 of LSU’s 43 second half points. Both Carson and Morris had unconscionable halves, their virtuosic play touching the high notes, a level of play worthy of hitting the Cena.

But the LSU player who went full Cena and added in a I’m getting the ring and you’re not to boot, was Angel Reese, a marvelous player, who was plagued most of the day by foul trouble and had a solid, but not great, game. Reese’s gestures came in the last minute when the game was essentially over. Reese’s ice-cold gestures were not employed to gain a psychological edge on an opponent. Reese’s throwing-salt-in-the-wound gestures, along with her overall great play, have catapulted her to the top of the sports world. And she is riding the massive wave of praise/criticism like a champion surfer. And the Women’s Final Four was not only better than the Men’s Final Four, but it was also more talked about. And the biggest Women’s personalities—players and coaches—are compelling. Can’t wait for next season.