Dawn Staley picks between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese for WNBA Rookie of the Year

Legendary college basketball head coach Dawn Staley says Angel Reese should be the WNBA's Rookie of the Year over Caitlin Clarkr - despite the latter being the overwhelming favorite.

Both players have put in incredible rookie seasons so far, being key starters on their respective teams while battling for playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Clark is averaging 17 points per game, eight assists and seven rebounds while Reese averages 14 points and 12 rebound a game.

Most bookmakers favor Clark to win the award. However, a coach who had been both of their rivals for two years in the NCAA, South Carolina head coach Staley , believes Reese to be more deserving of the award at this moment in time.

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She told TMZ: "At this time today, it's Angel. Without a doubt." Staley added that she believes the two will go back-and-forth throughout the rest of the season, with the playoffs likely being a decider of which is given the award.

As of writing, both teams are on course to make it into the playoffs with Clark's Indiana Fever being in seventh place with Reese's Chicago Sky in eighth.

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Clark and the Fever have turned their season around after a desperately poor start, beginning the campaign with a 1-9 record and looking destined to have the worst record in the league. The team rallied, going on a five-game winning streak while now having a 10-14 record and being in the hunt for making it to the postseason - one year removed from winning just 13 games without Clark.

Both Clark and Reese have undoubtedly brought millions of eyes to the sport since their battles in college for Iowa and LSU respectively, before entering the WNBA Draft together, with Clark being the number one draft pick to the Fever before Reese was selected by the Sky with the seventh overall pick.

The pair had two battles on the court in college, with Reese celebrating in Clark's face after defeating them to win the National Championship in 2023, before Clark exacted her revenge by eliminating her team from the postseason the following year.

In the WNBA, the two have faced each other three times, all being physical games with the latter's Fever winning two of them with Clark being fouled by Chennedy Carter - with Reese seen immediately applauding.