How Sun guard DiJonai Carrington limited Caitlin Clark in season-opener
UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- For Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White, picking DiJonai Carrington to guard Caitlin Clark was an automatic decision.
White, who doubles as a TV analyst during the WNBA offseason, called multiple Iowa women's basketball games throughout the 2023-24 season. She knows a lot about Clark's tendencies, and she knew which player could help shut Clark down.
"It was an automatic, because that's what Nai does," said White, a former IndyStar Miss Basketball, Purdue star and Fever player and coach. "She's an elite defender. The challenge for DiJonai is now doing it for longer periods of time. She came off the bench a year ago and always gave us energy, always checked the opposing team's best perimeter player ... this is what we expect from her."
'There's just a lot of things to learn.' Caitlin Clark needs time to adjust to WNBA
More: Caitlin Clark, Fever struggle with turnovers, fouls in season opener
The season opener was Carrington's first in the starting lineup for the Sun — she spent the first two years of her WNBA career coming off the bench. With a player like Clark, she knew she needed to prove herself. And she had her teammates' trust that she could.
Carrington was a pesky defender on the Fever rookie nearly all night, keeping close and tracking her throughout the game.
"When my teammates trust me, and they put that faith in me, it gives me a lot of confidence," Carrington said. "They've been in my ear all week and all through training camp that this is what they expect from me every night, whether it's Caitlin or whoever we're guarding."
In the Fever's 92-71 loss, Clark finished the game with 20 points on 5-of-15 shooting (4-of-11 from 3-point range), which was the second-best Fever points debut behind Tamika Catchings. Clark recorded 10 turnovers, though, which broke Cynthia Cooper-Dyke's record of nine in her debut with Houston in 1997.
Carrington, who left the game for a short time in the second half because of cramps, held Clark to 2-of-10 shooting and forced eight of the Fever rookie's 10 turnovers, according to ESPN Stats and Info. Sun guard Alyssa Thomas, who recorded a triple-double in the opener, guarded Clark while Carrington was out.
Connecticut is one of the most physical teams in the league, and it showed Tuesday night as it forced 25 Fever turnovers. And as much as Indiana tried to prepare for it, there's no comparison to the Sun lineup.
"I wouldn't say 20 points is keeping (Clark) down, but DiJonai is an athletic guard and they had a gameplan against her," Fever coach Christie Sides said. "It's just going to take some time for her to figure out that speed and quickness and physicality. We tried to rep it and mimic it with our practice guys as much as we could, but it's just not the same. So, it's just timing for her, and having those reps against those players."
Follow IndyStar Fever Insider Chloe Peterson on X at @chloepeterson67.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How Sun guard DiJonai Carrington limited Caitlin Clark in season-opener
