LSU's Kim Mulkey Told Caitlin Clark 'I Sure Am Glad You Leaving' in Post-Loss Video

LSU head women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey had a funny interaction with University of Iowa superstar guard Caitlin Clark following Monday night's clash in the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA women's basketball tournament.

After Clark dropped 41 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds in the Hawkeyes' 94-87 win, Mulkey was seen embracing her in the handshake line:

Mulkey talked to reporters about the conversation she had with Clark after the game (beginning at the 12-minute mark of the video), and revealed the somewhat tongue-in-cheek comment she made to the likely No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft: "What did I say to her? I said, 'I sure am glad you leaving.' I said, 'Girl, you something else. Never seen anything like it.'"

The veteran coach also discussed the difficulties of defending Clark and how she makes everyone around her better, saying (h/t Zac Al-Khateeb of the Des Moines Register):

"There's not a whole lot of strategy [in defending Clark]. You've gotta guard her. Nobody else seems to be able to guard her. We didn't even guard her last year when we beat them. She's just a generational player and she just makes everybody around her better. That's what the great ones do.

"I think they had a kid that scored 21 [Kate Martin] and 18, she had 12 assists. Caitlin Clark's not going to beat you by herself. It's what she does to make those other teammates better that helps her score points, and them score points, to beat you."

Monday featured a rematch of last season's national championship game in which Mulkey's Tigers, led by 2023 NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player Angel Reese, beat Clark and the Hawkeyes 102-85.

Clark swept the player of the year awards last season, and all signs point toward her doing the same this season by virtue of her per-game averages of 32.0 points, 9.0 assists and 7.3 rebounds.

The 22-year-old Clark has established herself as one of the biggest stars in the history of women's college basketball, and she has helped generate a ton of interest in the tournament.

By virtue of Iowa's win, the Hawkeyes are in the Final Four, and they will take on third-seeded UConn on Friday, with the winner taking on either No. 1 South Carolina or No. 3 NC State in the national championship game.

A national title is the one thing missing from Clark's résumé before she makes the leap to the WNBA, and if she is able to win one, it will mark the first in Iowa women's basketball history.

Clark has little left to prove at the collegiate level, and while her departure will make life easier for the opposition, she will represent a significant loss for women's college basketball as a whole.