Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw: Brittney Griner dominates ‘like a guy playing with women’

Brittney Griner had 26 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks in Baylor’s national championship win over Notre Dame Tuesday in Denver. Griner helped lead Baylor to a 40-0 season and was so dominant that Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said Griner is “like a guy playing with women.”

Here’s how the exchange went in the postgame press conference:

Q: Muffet, have you ever seen anyone who has ever been able to impact the game at least down low as Brittney did and obviously as she did tonight?

COACH McGRAW: No. I think she’s one of a kind. I think she’s like a guy playing with women. It’s just there’s so many things that she can do that I’ve not seen a lot of women‑‑ well, really, you know, there’s been some guards that had some skill like that. But as a post player she’s the best I’ve ever seen.

It’s Always Sunny in Detroit provides us with video of McGraw’s quote:

McGraw may have intended to compliment Griner’s abilities as a player, but she chose questionable words. LBS’ Steve DelVecchio interviewed former three-time WNBA MVP Lisa Leslie Tuesday who didn’t want to discuss how Griner would fare in the men’s game. Not only is the comparison between the men’s and women’s game a touchy subject for some women, but Griner already faces tremendous amounts of taunts and insults. McGraw’s words certainly aren’t helping. Let’s just hope for her sake she only meant that as a compliment.

UPDATE: McGraw addressed the controversy in a statement.

“I would hope that it was clear to those in attendance at Tuesday’s press conference that my comments were meant to be complimentary,” it said. “Any attempt by others to read anything more into that comment is wrong [and] malicious.”

Photo Credit: Chris Humphreys-US PRESSWIRE