Dawn Staley knows best: Caitlin Clark and Kamilla Cardoso’s greatest days will come as pros

CLEVELAND — In the biggest moment of all, the one right after the third national title of her career, Dawn Staley didn’t just want to talk about that.

Standing on the on-court stage, with the confetti flying and the national TV cameras rolling, Staley made a point of centering the WNBA.

Star center Kamilla Cardoso, Staley said, “played like one of the top picks in the WNBA draft.”

Then Staley proclaimed that Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark’s spotlight “is not going to stop here on the collegiate tour, but when she is the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, she is going to lift that league up as well.”

This was quite something to hear. Isn’t winning a college title supposed to be an end in itself? Especially one of the most remarkable you’ll see, a perfect 38-0 season after losing five draft-pick players?

» READ MORE: Dawn Staley and Kamilla Cardoso lead South Carolina to the title in a historic unbeaten season

It would be for countless teams, big and small.

But Staley knew the truth: in basketball, the pros should be bigger. They’ve long been in the men’s game, as her native Philadelphia knows well. Now it’s time for that to be true of the women’s game, too.

“We have to grow our game, and we have to bridge the gap between college and the WNBA,” Staley told The Inquirer after the court had quieted to just the confetti-cleaners, the chair-removers, and some friends and journalists.

“I think our fans do it — our fans follow our players from South Carolina throughout wherever they end up. But we’ve got to continue to bridge that gap. College coaches have to talk about it, anybody has to really get on their bullhorn and talk about what’s happening in our game.”

When the Indiana Fever call Clark’s name next Monday, she’ll rightly garner tons of attention. But there have been many big-time players in WNBA’s 28-year history, from Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson these days to Sheryl Swoopes and Lisa Leslie in the early ones.

» READ MORE: Why the unstoppable Kamilla Cardoso made South Carolina the national championship favorite

Who would know that better than Staley herself? After playing three years in the defunct ABL, she was a WNBA stalwart from 1999-2006, beginning her coaching career concurrently at Temple in 2000.

Clark knows her share of history too, from C. Vivian Stringer’s pioneering years at Iowa to the rest of the game. When told of Staley’s remarks, she was moved.

“I think any time someone like Coach Staley is able to recognize you and what you did for the game, it’s pretty special,” Clark said. “And obviously, she’s someone I respect so much. I respect what she’s done for South Carolina, I respect what she did as a player for our game.”

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder, now in her 24th year at the Hawkeyes’ helm, knew, too.

“Obviously, Dawn Staley is the leader of women’s basketball right now,” she said. “She’s our Olympic coach, she is the person that we are all looking up to. And she’s somebody that, when she says something like that to a player, it should make them feel really good.”

» READ MORE: Why this season could be the best coaching job of Dawn Staley’s career

Cardoso’s name will be called soon after Clark’s, and for good reason. The 6-foot-7 center was named the tournament’s most outstanding player, with 39 points and 26 rebounds combined over her last two games.

No matter what level of basketball you most enjoy, you know a dominant post presence when you see one. Philadelphia certainly does, being the city of Joel Embiid, Moses Malone, and Wilt Chamberlain.

As Staley famously said of title-winner Aliyah Boston two years ago, Cardoso will soon get to play against single-coverage defense instead of double teams. She will likely thrive, as Boston did last year with the Fever when she was named Rookie of the Year.

Speaking of coverage, let’s once more dismiss the fallacy that Clark will make less money in the WNBA than she does now. Of course her endorsements are coming with her, as the many blue-chip companies she has deals with have loudly made clear.

Her impending arrival is already making the WNBA money. The Fever have been marketing it in every unofficial way they can, with ticket sales through the roof and some smart social media plays.

» READ MORE: The stars of women's basketball have changed the public's interest | Mike Sielski

On the day of the Final Four, the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces — as star-studded a team as the league has ever had — announced they’re moving their July 2 home game vs. Indiana from their usual 12,000-seat home to the 18,000-seat arena where the NHL’s Golden Knights play.

That’s the kind of progress UConn coach Geno Auriemma called for when he said Thursday that “the WNBA, I don’t think, has done a great enough job of marketing their individual stars. For whatever reason, because there’s been a lot of them.”

Auriemma’s words drew a chorus of praise on social media, and many nods from reporters in front of him. On Sunday, Staley added her strong agreement.

“Any business that you’re part of, marketing is the key,” she said. “I know the WNBA’s novelty has worn off. So you’ve got to continue to have innovative ways to capture fans, the corporate dollars and such.”

Will words with Norristown and North Philly accents get through to Collingswood-born WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert? She was at the Final Four, so she surely was aware of the feeling.

» READ MORE: Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Kim Mulkey, Dawn Staley: Women have taken over the NCAA tournament | Marcus Hayes

Expansion would obviously help too, bringing not just more exposure to the league but more players.

There will be 13 teams in the league when Connecticut’s Paige Bueckers turns pro next year or the year after. Will there be plans for any more teams by the time current freshmen Hannah Hidalgo and JuJu Watkins arrive?

A growing number of cities have shown they want a team, making for a pretty loud chorus pushing Engelbert to be far more ambitious than she’s been for most of her tenure.

And yes, let’s note here that there are still seemingly no rich people out there willing to spend their wealth on bringing one to Philadelphia. (With no strings attached, such as conditioning it on getting a new arena on Market Street.)

If there are, they’ve yet to say so and start the marketing effort — there’s that phrase again — required to get Engelbert’s attention.

At least for now, everyone can look forward to Clark, Cardoso, Stanford’s Cameron Brink, LSU’s Angel Reese, and more moving this month to the professional stage where they deserve to be. And if they know it, Staley knows it, and Bluder knows it, then it’s time for everyone else to see it.

March Madness will always be special, but the professional game is the pinnacle of every major sport. It’s time for women’s basketball to act the same way.

» READ MORE: South Jersey's Hannah Hidalgo started out fast at Notre Dame, and has kept on flying