Caitlin Clark (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
 

The spotlight on Caitlin Clark during her rookie season may be brighter than ever on a WNBA player.

The former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar is finding out the hard way that things are not going to come easy for her in her rookie campaign in the WNBA. On Friday night, she was reminded of that as the Indiana Fever took on the defending champion Las Vegas Aces.

Early in the second quarter, Aces star Alysha Clark became enraged after she was called for a foul following Clark’s attempt to drive to the basket and score.

Clark took a huge hit to her face and got two free throws because of it.

Several pictures from that game show just how brutal that foul was. They show Alysha Clark with her right hand on Caitlin Clark’s neck, ripping her to the floor from behind.

A’ja Wilson, who led the Las Vegas Aces to a 99-80 victory over the Indiana Fever on Saturday night, demonstrated why she is perhaps the finest player in the league right now with 29 points and 15 rebounds. Rookie Caitlin Clark may be the WNBA’s future, but she witnessed in real-time what a superstar looks like.

In addition to her eight points on 2-of-8 shooting (2 of 5 from the 3-point range), Clark also had six turnovers, five rebounds, and seven assists, via ESPN.com. Coming in with an average of 16.7 points, it was Clark’s lowest point total as a professional.

Caitlin Clark Shared Heartbreaking Admission About Her Personal Life Amid Tough Professional Start To Her Career

Caitlin Clark (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
It’s challenging for Caitlin Clark to lead the typical life she formerly knew because she is constantly harassed by fans and the media.

She recently spoke on that fact.

“Honestly, I feel like I talk to the media more than I get to talk to my own family … which is really kind of sad, in a way,” Clark said during a press conference earlier this week. “It’s a lot for somebody that’s 22 years old. It can be tough at times.”

Being unable to talk with family makes this tough season even worse.

The WNBA didn’t do Clark and the Fever any favors with the early schedule. The team just had their seventh game in 12 days and third in four.

Penn State Head Coach James Franklin Is Facing Serious Accusations From Former Team Physician

James Franklin (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Former Penn State physician Dr. Pete Seidenberg has made some concerning allegations regarding head coach James Franklin.

Franklin has been accused of interfering with the decisions of medical professionals and trainers to the potential detriment of players and the program.

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s John Luciew reports that the head coach allegedly overstepped his bounds as head coach to try to influence various decisions made by the school’s medical staff.

One such example was when Franklin and former Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour wanted to have a player who attempted suicide medically disqualified from the team while he was receiving psychiatric care.

A player who is medically disqualified would lose his scholarship, but Franklin would have been able to offer his spot to another player during the offseason.

Seidenberg was the primary care team doctor during James Franklin’s early tenure in charge of the Nittany Lions. He spoke during the trial stemming from a lawsuit filed by Dr. Scott Lynch, who was the school’s director of athletic medicine and orthopedic consultant before he was fired in 2019.

According to the report from Luciew, Seidenberg alleged, “numerous meetings in which he said Franklin pressured him, Lynch, and the chief athletic trainer to alter their medical decisions and the treatment advice and options given to players.”

He adds that Seidenberg “perceived that as his attempt to influence medical decisions” once he noticed Franklin’s behavior.

Lynch has also claimed he was fired because he would not “allow a coach to interfere with his medical treatment and return-to-play decisions.”