Geno Auriemma explains why Caitlin Clark was 'set up for failure' in the WNBA

It hasn't been the ideal start to the WNBA for Caitlin Clark, with the Indiana Fever near the bottom of the standings. But none of it is a surprise to Connecticut women's basketball head coach Geno Auriemma, who believes she was "set up for failure" in the league.

The 11-time national championship winning coach said on "The Dan Patrick Show" on Wednesday "the delusional fanbase" that followed Clark when she was at Iowa disrespected WNBA players by thinking the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft would dominate the league from the get-go.

"These people are so disrespectful and so unknowledgeable and so stupid, that it gives a women's basketball a bad name," Auriemma said. "The kid was set up for failure right from the beginning.

"There's a huge target on this kid's back. I thought Cameron Brink said something really smart. She said now they're expecting this rookie class to be perfect. This rookie class isn't even one of the best rookie classes in the last 10 years, but they've been put out to be that because the way social media is today."

Auriemma alluded to the words of one his former players, Diana Taurasi, when she said "reality is coming" for Clark and other college stars when arrive in the WNBA. The coach said Taurasi was right with what she said and the rookie has a ways to go in the professional ranks. Auriemma previously said Clark is being "targeted" with physical play, like when she took a hard shove from the Chicago Sky's Chennedy Carter.

He added even though Clark "is on the wrong team," she's greatly handled the expectations and pressure she's faced since her debut.

"She's just not built for the physicality of this league," Auriemma said. "She's not quick enough to get away from the physicality. So there's a lot of learning curve, like Diana said, and when she gets it, she has elite skills that are going to really help her.

"She needs to be on a better team and she needs to be more experienced, and that will come."

The Fever are 2-9 on the season and will play the winless-Washington Mystics on Friday.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Geno Auriemma says Caitlin Clark was 'set up for failure' in the WNBA