Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese change the WNBA's landscape, and its future

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Year 1 of the Clark & Reese Show has been unlike anything the WNBA has ever seen.

Sure, this season’s final chapter is still unscripted with the playoffs set to start Sunday. But the rookie seasons and attention Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have had makes the league's outlook extremely bright beyond this postseason.

Sold out arenas became the norm. Soaring television ratings helped expand the fan base. Clark, Reese, the presumptive league MVP A’ja Wilson and others continually chased record-breaking statistics. And routine conversations and social media posts spurred sometimes heated debates about everything from basketball to culture.

“Watching the basketball that’s been played this season and the talent that’s been on the floor across the league, it’s been phenomenal,” Chicago Sky veteran Lindsay Allen said. “The two rookies, Caitlin and Angel — Angel has been huge for us and has been setting records. The basketball has been at a very, very high level and the interest has been, too.”

It’s impossible to ignore how much the sport has evolved since Clark, Reese and arguably the best rookie class in league history arrived in April. The timing for the league was perfect, too.

Clark and Reese brought the swagger, confidence and passion they exuded in a rivalry that captivated college basketball fans. That momentum continued into the pros and has elevated the profile of everyone around the league.

And as much as everyone attempted to manage the lofty expectations, Clark and Reese, in particular, exceeded them.

The Indiana Fever guard’s resume includes rookie records for scoring (761), 3-pointers (120) and All-Star Game assists (10). She broke the league’s single-game (19) and single-season records for assists (329) while becoming the first rookie to ever post a triple-double. Now, she believes a title run is possible in the playoffs.

“Once we get there, I think it’ll feel a little more real and, obviously, we’re not just happy to be there,” said Clark, who helped Indiana end the second-longest playoff drought in league history at seven years. “We really believe we can compete with every single team that’s going to be in the playoffs. Obviously, the only team we didn’t beat this year was the (Las Vegas) Aces and the only way we would see them, I think, would be in the Finals.”

Reese was equally efficient, perhaps more proficient, in her impressive season.

The Chicago rookie forward established new league marks for single-season rebounds (446), offensive rebounds (172) and overall rebounding average (13.1). Though Reese didn’t hold the single-season rebound record long because Wilson broke it while Reese was sidelined with a season-ending injury.

Reese did become the first rookie with an All-Star Game double-double, and she became the first WNBA player to record back-to-back games of 20 or more rebounds while her 24 double-doubles broke the league’s rookie record.

The only real disappointment has been the wrist injury that ended Reese’s season after 34 games, an absence that could keep the Sky out of the playoffs and possibly throw a wrench into Reese’s Rookie of the Year hopes.

The Clark-Reese dynamic continues to fuel debates among fans — similar to the barbershop discussions about Larry Bird-Magic Johnson in 1980 when they each played leading roles as rookies.

Their polarizing personas put Clark & Reese squarely in the middle of discussions about everything from hard fouls to technical fouls, even cultural issues — including sexuality and race.

But there’s no doubt that their presence — and their rivalry — opened the door to more endorsements and more fan engagement, including children who increasingly showed up in the players’ jerseys long before tip-off.

From the corn maze featuring Clark in northwestern Indiana to Reese’s presence on a large electronic billboard in Chicago to promote blue jeans or the tears of joy streaming down the cheeks of Wilson and her teammates when she broke the league’s single-season scoring record at Indiana, everyone seems to have a favorite moment.

“I’ve been in this league long enough to play alongside some amazing players, Hall of Fame players and this one is no different,” Aces forward Alysha Clark said, wiping her eyes while sitting next to Wilson. “When you have players of this caliber playing now, appreciate that because one day she’s not going to be here. She’s going to retire and go on to live her life and people are going to marvel at what she’s done and I’m like, ‘Marvel at it now.’”

Fans of Clark and Reese share similar sentiments about the two 22-year-olds who seem destined to be the face of the league for years to come and cornerstone pieces on the 2028 U.S. Olympic Team.

But it’s not just a bright future for the rookies, it’s also a bright future in a league that has seen ticket demand and visibility soar while playing in front of packed arenas.

“We’ve seen just a huge amount of people talking about the WNBA, talking about the Fever,” said Indiana guard Lexie Hull. “I think a lot of that comes from people being invested in the college game and then coming over, following the players they like, following the ’W” and it’s pretty incredible.”

AP Sports Writer Andrew Seligman in Chicago also contributed to this report.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas (25) is fouled as she tries to shoot between Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) and guard Jackie Young (0) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates with her parents Roscoe and Eva Wilson after an WNBA basketball game against the Connecticut Sun, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark (22) goes to the basket against Las Vegas Aces' Jackie Young (0) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, center is hugged by Lexie Hull, left, and Erica Wheeler (17) after a WNBA basketball game against the Dallas Wings in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) signs mini basketballs for fans following in a WNBA basketball game against the Dallas Wings in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) poses after an WNBA basketball game against the Connecticut Sun, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Las Vegas.(Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) celebrates after a three-point basket against the Dallas Wings in the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

A mission specialist for the company that owned the Titan submersible that imploded last year told the U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday that the firm was staffed by competent people who wanted to “make dreams come true.”

Renata Rojas was the latest person to testify who was connected to Titan owner OceanGate. An investigatory panel had previously listened to two days of testimony that raised questions about the company's operations before the doomed mission. OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush was among five people who died when the submersible imploded en route to the site of the Titanic wreck in June 2023.

Rojas' testimony struck a different tone than some of the earlier witnesses, who described the company as troubled from the top down and focused more on profit than science or safety.

“I was learning a lot and working with amazing people,” Rojas said. “Some of those people are very hardworking individuals that were just trying to make dreams come true.”

Rojas also said she felt the company was sufficiently transparent during the run-up to the Titanic dive. Her testimony was emotional at times, with the Coast Guard panel proposing a brief break at one point so she could collect herself.

Rojas is a member of the Explorers Club, which lost members Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet in the Titan implosion. The club described Rush as “a friend of The Explorers Club” after the implosion.

“I knew what I was doing was very risky. I never at any point felt unsafe by the operation,” Rojas said in testimony Thursday.

Earlier this month, the Coast Guard opened a public hearing that is part of a high-level investigation into the cause of the implosion. The public hearing began on Sept. 16 and some of the testimony has focused on problems the company had prior to the fatal 2023 dive.

Investigators also released underwater footage of the submersible wreck. The footage shows the submersible's tail cone and other debris on the ocean floor.

During the hearing, former OceanGate operations director David Lochridge said Tuesday he frequently clashed with Rush and felt the company was committed only to making money.

“The whole idea behind the company was to make money,” Lochridge testified. “There was very little in the way of science.”

Also expected to testify on Thursday is former OceanGate scientific director Steven Ross. The hearing is expected to run through Friday with more witnesses still to come and resume next week.

Lochridge and other witnesses have painted a picture of a company led by people who were impatient to get the unconventionally designed craft into the water. The deadly accident set off a worldwide debate about the future of private undersea exploration.

Coast Guard officials noted at the start of the hearing that the submersible had not been independently reviewed, as is standard practice. That and Titan’s unusual design subjected it to scrutiny in the undersea exploration community.

OceanGate, based in Washington state, suspended its operations after the implosion. The company has no full-time employees currently, but has been represented by an attorney during the hearing.

During the submersible’s final dive on June 18, 2023, the crew lost contact after an exchange of texts about the Titan’s depth and weight as it descended. The support ship Polar Prince then sent repeated messages asking if the Titan could still see the ship on its onboard display.

One of the last messages from Titan’s crew to Polar Prince before the submersible imploded stated, “all good here,” according to a visual recreation presented earlier in the hearing.

When the submersible was reported missing, rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to an area about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Four days later, wreckage of the Titan was found on the ocean floor about 330 yards (300 meters) off the bow of the Titanic, Coast Guard officials said.

No one on board survived. Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman were the other two people killed in the implosion.

OceanGate said it has been fully cooperating with the Coast Guard and NTSB investigations since they began. The Titan had been making voyages to the Titanic wreckage site going back to 2021.

This June 2023 United States Coast Guard still frame from video provided by Pelagic Research Services, shows remains of the Titan submersible, center, on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. (U.S. Coast Guard Video courtesy Pelagic Research Services via AP)

This June 2023 United States Coast Guard still frame from video provided by Pelagic Research Services, shows remains of the Titan submersible, center, on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. (U.S. Coast Guard Video courtesy Pelagic Research Services via AP)

In a still from from a video animation provided by the United States Coast Guard an illustration of the Titan submersible, right, is shown near the ocean floor of the Atlantic Ocean, as June 18, 2023 communications between the submersible and the support vessel Polar Prince, not shown, are represented at left. (United States Coast Guard via AP)

This June 2023 image provided by Pelagic Research Services shows remains of the Titan submersible on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. (Pelagic Research Services via AP)