Thomas 🦖
@AudacityofTrope
Followers
441
Following
51K
Media
1K
Statuses
12K
Social Worker. Former Soldier. 6ft5in Hawkeye native and grad. Movies, IA/Chi sports, dinos, sci-fi. Forever navigating life inefficiently.
Joined December 2011
Caitlin Clark is currently tied for 7th in the WNBA in total blocks, along with A'ja Wilson. (This is not a joke).
48
294
4K
Wasn't until today that I realized why Caitlin Clark was so pissed during the tech. That's contact with the body and obstructing her left arm as she tries to complete the between-the-legs dribble. Thomas doesn't even actually touch the ball at all on the turnover. Can't miss
157
256
3K
Did I really watch Caitlin Clark lead an 8 point run against the Storm to tie it up with 5 minutes left only for Christie Sides to bench her for two minutes while that tie eroded into a 7 point deficit?. No I didn't, this is just a simple nightmare and I'm gonna wake up in 3,.
59
138
3K
Seen so many comments about how Caitlin Clark's triple double has an asterisk because "her rebounds are always wide open." None seem to understand that this is directly tied to how lethal the Fever are in transition because of her. Do they think she's just luckier than others?.
151
100
2K
So, I want to talk about the reasons I'm still in the Caitlin Clark for Rookie of the Year camp, without trying to unfairly disparaging Angel, who is having an incredible season herself. One of the biggest reasons I'm pushing for Clark (outside of personal Iowa bias) is that.
173
211
2K
Clark is the tiny, fraying rope keeping me tuning in to the horrifying natural disaster that is Christie Sides.
31
67
1K
Here is my long, overly self-indulgent, potentially boring take on @CaitlinClark22 's popularity (mostly written for myself):. Let's accept that there are a LOT of variables contributing to Caitlin's success in driving women's basketball into the mainstream. Trying to isolate a.
127
129
920
Remember the beginning of the season when critics were saying that Caitlin Clark didn't have the handle or athleticism to be a Point Guard in the WNBA?.
Take a look at the Week 8 @StateFarm’s Top Assists Leaderboard ⤵️. Caitlin Clark is back at No. 1 leading with 194 dimes. #StateFarmAssists
30
33
899
Caitlin Clark is the greatest and most consequential Iowa Hawkeye athlete of all-time at this point, right?.
53
15
817
Caitlin Clark waded into a sea of "she can't handle a league of grown-ass women" takes and emerged 5 months later with one of the greatest rookie seasons in sports history and said league in shambles, crying out "we're just smol beans plz protect us from her spotlight!".
0
62
697
Never would have imagined another coach furiously yelling at Christie Sides for running up the score. Caitlin Clark effect.
14
28
572
Caitlin Clark for 18 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals. She's gonna deserve someone else's Olympics slot by the time the games start and USA Basketball is gonna look idiotic.
50
28
563
I still cannot fathom Christie Sides' brain. Indiana had cut the lead to single digits. Clark was starting to feel it. Carrington is in the locker room. And your instinct in this moment is. sit your 3 best players and allow Connecticut to go on a 5-7 point run?.
45
28
478
3
1
442
@bg0dly247 It can be true that she has a lot of work to do on TO's (and self-control with the refs), and that this particular call was bad and hugely influential to the outcome of the game.
12
0
319
It must be a dream, because if it isn't, that would mean I also watched Christie Sides go back to playing Clark as a Shooting Guard for the first 2 miserable quarters of the game.
4
7
321
@Trysta_Krick They're picking her up at 94 feet, face-guarding, top-locking, and hard-hedging her on almost every possession and Sides hasn't even made her the primary ball handler. There's some serious hazing energy from vets, for sure.
28
5
294
@SwannMarcus89 "Hello comrades today we have 7 labors to complete so we will give each labor to each next worker in line and you will all be happy because then you all did the same number of labors and then you can go learn the flute".
3
10
255
@BarstoolBigCat Had to put my best friend of 14 years down a couple months ago. Leia was with me through my entire adult life, including Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Bears being fucking terrible over and over again. She would have loved Justin Fields. Hope Stella is doing well.
3
0
255
I know some Bears fans thought Iowa fans were being ironic with their "TORY TAYLOR FOR HEISMAN" takes but.
Tory Taylor flipping field position. He will be a game changer. Defense should feast.
5
12
253
As a huge @IowaWBB fan, I never thought I'd say this, but I absolutely NEED to see Grace Berger and Celeste Taylor in the game with Caitlin Clark.
11
2
224
As of this moment, Clark is also tied for 6th in total steals, along with Brionna Jones, DeWanna Bonner, and Jewell Loyd.
2
11
220
@dwcprodz Iowa ranked 133 out of 133 FBS teams in offense last year. They scored 15 or fewer points 8 times, and were shut out 3 times. Yet at the end of the regular season, they were 10-2 in a P5 conference. The previous best record for a 133rd offense in ANY conference was 4-8.
4
24
204
@WNBA @Kia @IndianaFever If literally any other player in the league had put up these stats (along with her blocks/steals), they'd be PotM in the East. The lack of subtlety is almost as pathetic as the pettiness.
2
4
174
@TheResIsOurs24 I didn't try to interpret anything. It's just impressive for a rookie PG to have the same number of blocks as A'ja freaking Wilson at any point in a season outside of the first game. Not meant to suggest she's a better defender.
4
0
158
@SwannMarcus89 This is a 6 year-old-who's-just-learned-addition-and-subtraction's understanding of labor dynamics.
1
1
148
Just fyi, this post was not meant to take shots at Alyssa Thomas, who's an MVP-caliber player. And while I think this call contributed to the loss in a major way, it's true that Clark can't lose her cool like that regardless of the situation. I just wanted to know why this.
4
4
141
I'd like to thank my quick trigger finger the night of the WNBA draft. @IndianaFever #CaitlinClark
6
5
136
Watching this Fever offense, it strikes me that Lisa Bluder is a hell of coach.
6
3
122
@DavidEickholt They aren't even making her a true 2. They want her playing off ball, then refuse to initiate anything for her away from the ball-handler. No off-ball screens, no cutting, no Boston looking for shooters from the post. The offense looks like random bankers playing a pick-up game.
6
0
116
@dave_bfr I'm telling you as an Iowa fan, the Tory Taylor worship, the shirts, the chants - they weren't being done ironically.
0
0
112
@KamalaHQ JD Vance is like if the Michael Dukakis tank photo came to life and had to relive that day over, and over, and over again for all eternity.
2
8
85
@iamcoachval The pass wasn't perfect, but it hit her in the hands. That's gotta end up as an assist, not a TO.
6
0
93
@KohliZarik55959 Also bad, as was the 30-13 FT ratio. But I was mostly curious about what set Clark off to that degree. She's emotional and vocal during games, but she doesn't typically push it that far.
3
1
88
@AmyEGardner @cgjinks13 I'm not so much worried that Wayne County didn't certify the results, in a vacuum. I'm worried that Wayne County will represent a seismic shift, giving permission to Republicans nation-wide to refuse certification and push for the legislative electors scenario.
3
6
60
@KimmmBrulee WNBA rules state that it's a foul if:. ". a player attempts to play an opponent from a position where she has no reasonable chance to perform without making contact with her opponent, the responsibility is on the player in this position.".
3
0
69
Here are the 3 possible outcomes of this possession and the default response from Caitlin Clark haters for each:. 1. Hold on and turn the ball over (sad, another TO for Clark!).3. Take a shot (trying to statpad to get her ppg up!).4. Attempt an assist (trying to statpad for the.
3 possession game under 15 seconds and Caitlin Clark tries to stat pad for an assist record😂😂
15
7
64
@ErinKPeterson @11AliveNews @ChristieOnTV I think I've slept maybe 3 hours since Tuesday. This might be the first time I've smiled during that period. Thank you.
0
0
49
@rkrager8 Playstyle and the narrative of staying home and willing a nontraditional power to victory.
1
2
57
@chloepeterson67 Completely independent of Clark being a 3 point specialist, does Sides not see how spacing issues are affecting Boston, specifically? She's really encouraging their best reliable spacer to move closer to the basket?.
1
1
58
To be transparent, while rewatching it looks like the Fever take her off to wipe something, maybe blood, off her jersey after a foul at 5:49. But she's already sitting on the bench before play even resumes, and proceeds to sit until 3:13 left in the game.
0
0
58
The Christie Sides criticism is not simply a Caitlin Clark-stan thing. Christie Sides had a 32% win percentage as an HC before Clark even got there (she's at 29% now). This is also her only HC experience. Her year as an assistant in Atlanta, they won 39% of their games. As an.
3
6
60
@adam_jacobi Think it has a lot to do with playstyle and position. Jokic doesn't have one either, seems like it's a lot more common for Guards to get them. That said, I expect she'll probably have one within the next 6 months assuming the W momentum continues.
7
1
52
@revhowardarson I'm sure all the 30-34 year-olds in America are just going through something.
0
0
52
@SwannMarcus89 I remember reading that we were spending about $20 billion a year on air conditioning back when we were in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of those vital features Americans tend to take for granted - it's not an inexpensive novelty.
0
0
52
@xbzpapi @CaitlinClark22 I would encourage you to read the full post, either way, I wish you well.
2
0
51
@cooley2012 @CaitlinClark22 I would encourage you to read it all, the overall assessment may surprise you. But I wish you well, regardless.
1
0
46
@The3008Final The Fever had just taken the lead and were leading when this happened. After this call and the transition foul, the Fever relinquished the lead and never regained it.
1
0
52
@QueenEsther328 @TheResIsOurs24 I said total blocks. I did not say bpg. They each have 9, which is very impressive for a rookie PG! It does not mean she's a better defender, and I never suggested that it did.
1
0
48
@iamcoachval This is your definition of "at your feet?" It's a little behind, but it's also in stride and she barely needed to turn her upper torso. That's a catchable pass for college players, let alone professionals.
11
1
52
@iamcoachval I said it wasn't a perfect pass. If you're a professional basketball player, you're expected to hold on to balls that hit you in both hands. If you think that WNBA players can only be expected to catch picture perfect passes, your standards are low.
2
0
47
Damn, Iowa, you gotta space some of this stuff out. Reacting to Kate Martin officially making the Aces, Lisa Bluder retiring, and Jan Jensen becoming head coach all within 2 hours involves waaaay too much emotional turbulence for a Monday.
1
1
42
Anonymous poll of 130 NBA players. Caitlin being #2 is absolutely insane. And Angel and Juju on there too. WNBA needs to knock it out of the park this year and take advantage of the moment.
2
6
44
@sarapickett09 @CaitlinClark22 Absolutely. It's already started. They may come for Caitlin, but they'll learn about so many other deserving stars as a result.
3
0
39
@dwcprodz Somehow whenever I see this clip posted it actually feels INADEQUATE to describe the Bears' luck, given the prior 4th-and-12 AND the successful 2 point conversion surrounding this play.
1
0
38
As far as the criticism that Angel Reese gets most of her rebounds from her own misses (z-bounds) - that's incorrect and should be called out. Not that it never happens - she's going to crush the Z-bound record (27, she's at 21) - but they're only about 10% of her overall.
5
3
38
Kate Martin is going to have a long WNBA career (if she wants) before becoming one of the greatest basketball coaches of all-time.
1
0
30
@adamorgler @NWSDesMoines @NWSOmaha That thing destroyed my entire hometown and nearly killed my parents.
10
0
37
@crampell To be fair, I'm convinced that the only way to remain a part of Trump's administration at this point is to have your mind automatically convert everything that comes out of his mouth into the Charlie Brown teacher noise.
0
3
32
@QueenEsther328 @TheResIsOurs24 What am I trying to do? Do you honestly think I'm trying to say she's a better defender than A'ja?? It's just a fun stat!.
1
0
36
@JimMaisano While SC is probably receiving the smallest ever proportional share of the overall post-tournament media coverage for a champ, they're also receiving a higher AGGREGATE level of coverage than any previous winner. Seems fair, since any story about ratings absolutely has to.
6
1
35
@ChaseDaniel I tend to agree when the contact is incidental and doesn't affect the play. Not what happened here. Edwards basically does the splits and throws a shoulder, knocking Iowa's best perimeter defender out of the play. If UConn wins on that illegal screen, there's even MORE.
4
0
37
@ImBearingDown B+ . Had throw 50+ times at every level in a 1 dimensional O (2.3 ypc) producing only 1 TO-worthy throw (says PFF). 363 yards, 2 TDs (Bears chose not to throw at all during their speed-option fiasco goal line series, coulda been more). 2.31 TTT in a protected pocket.
2
0
36
@Joeeyfetta @CiscoMom11 @bg0dly247 There was a 30-13 FT disparity favoring the Sun and they shot a nearly identical number of 3's.
2
0
34
@KwistyWilkes If it's incidental contact or it doesn't affect the outcome of the play at all, sure. But the only reason this was a turnover was Thomas literally prevented Clark from catching her own dribble by pinning her arm. When a foul completely alters the outcome of a play, you can't.
1
0
32
@FilmBayona @colintrevorrow It takes supreme clarity of vision to risk moving a beloved franchise in this direction. If #JurassicWorld was a love letter to Spielberg, #FallenKingdom is sheer Crichton reverence. Incredibly well done, I can't stop smiling. Thank you.
0
10
31
@CyFanJohnny @u_fullback Player Efficiency Rating: .Clark: 43.9.Bueckers: 40.7. True Shooting%:.Clark: .616.Bueckers: .636. Wins Above Replacement:.Clark: 14.5.Bueckers: 13.4. Assist%:.Clark: 51.3.Bueckers: 24.1. Win Shares:.Clark: 13.0.Bueckers: 12.1. Usage%:.Clark: 40.3.Bueckers: 29.0.
3
4
32
About to go watch Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston kick ass in Chicago. #FeverRising
0
0
29
@QueenEsther328 @TheResIsOurs24 She is currently 13th in BPG. It's not "misleading" to show a stat which says she's 7th when a different stat measuring the same variable says she's 13th. And it's not the result of 1 game. By your definition, ANY stat is misleading lest the players play the exact same position,.
4
0
31
Can't help but notice the Sky didn't receive this reaction when Angel, up comfortably against a team with seconds left, forced a paint foul to get FTs and keep her double double streak alive against ATL. The Fever put their bench in with 1.5 minutes left up by like 15, and.
1
0
25
@VanshayM Trying to be objective rather than cruel, but Clark's TO's don't generally appear to be due to skill issues, like a lot of Angel's at-rim misses. They just don't lend themselves to comedic videos as easily.
1
1
28
@_talkswithtj Ah, I yearn for the days of Iowa fans being called bandwagoners because we "only followed college WBB because we had Naismith winner Megan Gustafson.".
0
0
23
@janecoaston Looking at the comments in the original post, and the most bitter ones seem totally convinced that their antisocial grievances about sports are shared by most of the nation. Like, the NFL is more popular than ever. So are college sports. Even the WNBA is exploding!.
2
1
24
I don't wanna hear shit about these CC turnovers after this game. Borderline HS level hands on her teammates.
3
3
26
I was and am looking forward to the pairing of Caitlin Clark with Aliyah Boston, but Boston has seemed pretty gassed in the preseason, so I looked at team pace stats. The Fever ranked 11 out of 12 in pace last year. In Boston's last two seasons at SC, their average pace was.
6
2
21
@jonstewart Zelenski has been extraordinary so far, but don't sell yourself short. Met you in Afghanistan, and I suspect you'd demonstrate some eloquent leadership capabilities as well.
2
1
25
Lol all this is missing is Sides explicitly telling Clark she should "try to be more like Kristy Wallace." This coach is an absolute menace. Not just incompetent, a legitimate detriment to her team.
Christie Sides: "We're spending too much time talking to the officials. We've got to leave that alone. We've got to just play our game and let them do their job and not put it in their hands. We shouldn't get technicals. Let me get the technicals.".
1
0
25
@barstoolsports This system destroyed my entire hometown of 500 in Iowa and nearly killed my parents. I don't know how to help them, yet, but I'm sure Minden, Iowa will need some support, too. Please keep them in mind.
5
1
25
@postherhoops Swoopes may be right. But given that she formed her opinion while believing Clark was a 25 year-old (she just turned 22) in her "5th or 6th" year (it's her 4th) taking 40 shots a game (averages under 20 a game through her career), if she is, it'll be purely by coincidence.
2
0
25
Also that look of absolute disgust on Shery Swoops' face is life-affirming😂.
Y’all sayin it was a push off but idk, more like a love tap, Caitlin Clark is insane tho. And 1
2
1
23
@Jay_3shifty Think her defense will improve a lot without her having to initiate virtually everything on offense for 40 minutes a game and having to avoid fouls at all costs. She's got the size, speed, weight, and basketball IQ to be a decent defender.
2
0
24