Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was heavily criticized after she “passed over” Caitlin Clark for a coveted spot on the United States national women’s basketball team at Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Granted, Team USA won the gold medal anyway, its eighth in a row at the Olympics, but Reeve still suffered scrutiny for not taking Clark to Paris — despite her championship resume in the WNBA.

But with Clark in town Saturday as the Indiana Fever prepared to take on the Minnesota Lynx, Reeve had another chance to express her true feelings about Clark — who has transformed the perception of women’s basketball over the past two years and brought greater attention to the WNBA, where Reeve is building another championship contender in Minneapolis.

Reeve compares Clark and Maya Moore

Speaking to reporters an hour before tip-off at Target Center on Saturday night, Reeve discussed the “exceptional” Clark — acknowledging that her 3-point shooting puts fans in the seats, but highlighting other facets of the rookie’s game that make her special.

“I know the sexier part is the logo 3,” Reeve said. “But pace and passing is what makes her exceptional.”

Reeve’s admiration for Clark comes on a special night for player and coach. The Lynx will retire franchise icon Maya Moore‘s #23 jersey before tip, six years after she surprisingly stepped away from basketball. Moore and Reeve led the Lynx to four WNBA championships between 2011 and 2017, an enduring legacy that Clark is hoping to emulate in the basketball hotbed of Indiana.

In a way, Reeve cannot help but admire Clark’s pull in addition to her talent. The All-Star guard was seen signing a huge number of fan autographs on her second visit to Minneapolis, demonstrating her star power once again as admirers clamored for the signature of a visiting player.