Good news: Carolina Gamecocks Basketball announce a superstar return..

Coach Dawn Staley of South Carolina is leaving more of an impact than just one player.

The thrilling, suspenseful, back-and-forth contest between the Iowa Hawkeyes, led by Wooden Award Player of the Year Caitlin Clark, and the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday night was everything basketball fans could have imagined.

It was the kind of game that would have been scripted if the previous five and a half months had taken place on a movie screen rather than TV screens and highlight reels of actual life. It was the ideal conclusion to an amazing, historic season.

However, we were already deep in conversation about the future and how to sustain the energy created by this crazy season several weeks before South Carolina took down the nets after defeating Iowa 87-75.

The topic of discussion usually revolves around Clark, the outstanding guard who, in spite of never having won a title while in college, Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley called “one of the GOATs of our game”. And a lot of people wonder who the next Caitlin Clark will be, including analysts, commentators, sportswriters, and podcasters.

After all, Clark is a multigenerational talent who dominated television this year. And we saw her because of a willing media machine that gladly sliced up Clark’s name, image, and likeness into a million separately profitable morsels and returned them to us, one by one. A great deal. Therefore, we are aware that Clark’s on-court performance is worthy of highlight reels, thought pieces, and upcoming documentaries.

However, those of us who have been around to witness the sport develop to the point where Clark can take over and become the icon that she is, we also understand that Clark cannot take all credit for sustaining women’s basketball’s present level of interest in the sport into the future.

To do that, we need teams and programs that are well-built and guided by individuals who have the ability to develop the talent of future generations. We need people who can encourage girls to pick up a basketball, join a team, and buy into a culture of mutual respect, support, and shared goals—even if they can’t hit 40 in a game or won’t score close to 4,000 points in their college career. These people should work with youth leagues, high school teams, and AAU programs.

And we don’t need another Caitlin Clark for that. I believe Dawn Staleys are needed more.