Although Caitlin Clark was not selected for the U.S. women’s basketball team for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the chair of the team’s selection committee said she was “proud” of how the selection process went.
Jen Rizzotti, chair of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Committee, did not give specific reasons why Clark was not selected for the national team but did note that she was under consideration.
“This has been a three-year process for us. Kaitlyn, along with the other athletes who did not make the team, were evaluated on all of their body of work. There were certainly unique circumstances surrounding Kaitlyn, but at the end of the day I am proud of the selection criteria our committee narrowed down,” she said. “None of those criteria had anything to do with television ratings or marketability.”
“The committee’s job was to choose the 12 players based on our selection criteria. You can debate how TV ratings, jersey sales and popularity should be taken into account, but it’s not the committee’s purview to have those discussions. The selection criteria were made very clear to us. At the end of the day, we had to block out some of that outside noise.”
According to the selection committee, 11 criteria were used in deciding the members.
- U.S. Citizenship
- availability
- position
- Playing ability
- Versatility to play in other positions
- Coaching Ability
- attitude
- Ability to adapt to team concept
- leadership
- Adaptability to international matches
- Potential to contribute to team success
The decision to not include Clark on the Olympic team has been controversial in the basketball world, with both sides citing several reasons why she should or shouldn’t go to Paris.
Clark said earlier this week that he wasn’t disappointed at not being selected and was excited about the players who made the roster.
“I think it just gives me a reason to try. That’s the dream. Hopefully I can get there one day. I think it just gives me a little bit more motivation,” she said.
Contributors: Nancy Armour and Jack Mackesy
