Caitlin Clark fixed her shot after Fox Sports Radio host and college basketball coach, Doug Gottlieb highlighted her mechanical flaw. Coincidence?
The Dan Patrick Show traveled to Green Bay this week for the NFL Draft. And while in Green Bay, Patrick welcomed the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay to the set. And after talking about Gottlieb’s battles with LeBron James and tendency to garner attention with hot takes, Patrick asked about Caitlin Clark.
“By the way, didn’t you critique Caitlin Clark’s shooting form?” Patrick asked, garnering chuckles from the audience, particularly after Gottlieb confirmed, “Yes.”
Last year, about two weeks before Gottlieb took the Green Bay job, the Fox Sports Radio host shared a picture of Clark holding a basketball in a shooting position on social media and asked longtime scout Mike Procopio if he would advise her to fix the “mechanical flaw.” Gottlieb was widely roasted for the post, with many pointing to the fact that he was a 45% free throw shooter in college.
Patrick then said he can critique Clark’s shot, but Gottlieb cannot. And that’s when the conversation turned a bit chippy.
“How many Division I minutes have you logged?” asked Gottlieb, who was a four-year DI starter during his playing career.
“Oh, I have to play now to understand shooting?” Patrick asked. “I haven’t coached a game. I probably can coach and win four games…I can probably win five!”
Gottlieb led Green Bay to a 4-28 record in his first season as head coach.
“If you watch Caitlin Clark’s form now, take a snapshot of it,” Gottlieb said. “Take a snapshot of last year when she was heading into the WNBA, she’s changed and fixed her shot.”
Patrick still questioned Gottlieb’s self-awareness for critiquing Clark’s shooting style. Gottlieb, however, maintained it’s part of his job as a full-time sports radio host.
“Has she thanked you yet?” Patrick asked.
The answer is no. But Doug Gottlieb insisted Caitlin Clark has no issue with him, citing her potential future father-in-law Fran McCaffrey as proof.
The Indiana Fever fired head coach Christie Sides last year after Clark’s rookie season and since replaced her with Stephanie White. But after fixing Clark’s shot all the way from Twitter, maybe Gottlieb deserved an opportunity.