Doug Gottlieb‘s criticism of Caitlin Clark has brought him a reward, landing his first coaching job in basketball at 48 years of age. He will join the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
His move will take him away from television and down to the side of the court for the first time, and it comes less than a month after his public attempts to ‘fix’ Clark‘s shooting form. It should be noted that Clark broke almost every NCAA record in existence with her incredible scoring prowess with the Iowa Hawkeyes before moving into the WNBA as the first-choice draft pick by the Indiana Fever.
Caitlin Clark played rock, paper, scissors in her WNBA introduction
Doug Gottlieb coaching career
Gottlieb‘s first job as a coach, then, comes in Green Bay, with Jon Rothstein having reported the move as being possible on Tuesday, but it was Ellie French who broke the news as official before anybody else.
Gottlieb‘s current work sees him host The Doug Gottlieb Show on Fox Sports Radio, and he is likely to have to walk away from that now.
Caitlin Clark’s Olympic Games dream
Having moved into the WNBA with the Fever, Clark is now hoping to take part at the 2024 Paris Games. She has already shown her talent and competitiveness at youth levels and has the potential to fill the void left by the retirement of Sue Bird.
However, with no more training camps before the roster deadline, Clark will have to prove herself on the court during the WNBA season to earn a spot on Team USA.
The road to the Olympics won’t be easy for the Fever‘s rookie. She’ll need to adjust to facing tougher opponents, adapting to new defensive schemes, and managing the demanding schedule of the WNBA. Reeve highlighted the physical and mental toll of the WNBA season, which could impact Clark‘s chances of making the Olympic team.
But coach Cheryl Reeve, who will be coaching the Minnesota Lynx and Team USA, believes that Clark has the toughness to handle the challenges ahead but acknowledges that there will be learning curves, both on and off the court