There is a lot of truth to be said about Caitlin Clark being left off the U.S. Women’s National Team roster for the 2024 Olympics.
First, the U.S. Women’s Olympic Team is the hardest team in the world to build, and Caitlin Clark should be a staple on the team for the next 20 years as long as she stays healthy.
But she didn’t Deserves Clark is set to be selected to the 2024 team. Clark is the most popular women’s basketball player on the planet, but she’s not currently one of the top 12 players in the United States.
If they want to keep Clark on the team, they have to tell me who they’re going to have at home so Clark can primarily sit on the bench in a program that has been a dominant force in Olympic sports for decades.
Diana Taurasi? The 41-year-old is a five-time Olympian and has had a great season in the WNBA. She deserves and has earned one last Olympic appearance.
Sabrina Ionescu? The dynamic guard is the first player in WNBA history to record 500 points, 200 assists and 200 rebounds in a single season and was part of the 2022 team that won the FIBA World Cup. Ditto for Kelsey Plum.
Chelsea Gray has been out of action for eight months with a foot injury, which might raise some eyebrows, but when healthy, she’s the best point guard in the world. If he’s 100 percent, she should be in the lineup. If she’s not, Clark will likely take her place.
If anyone is unhappy about being left off the roster, it’s Areke Ogunbowale, who is second in the WNBA in scoring with 26.6 points per game.
Clarke will likely be a part of the U.S. team for years to come, but there has only been five rookies in U.S. Olympic team history to make the team, and there just wasn’t a place for her.
It’s important to mention that putting together the Team USA roster is a multi-year process — there’s training camps, exhibitions, the FIBA World Cup, etc. — and all of these data points feed into the selection committee’s roster decisions.
Clark, through no fault of her own, missed these roster-building moments because she was a student at the University of Iowa at the time, and her past two training camps took place on the weekends when Clark and the Hawkeyes appeared in the Women’s Final Four.
While it’s interesting that USA Basketball decided to hold the game that weekend, it doesn’t change the fact that Clark is not playing with the rest of this team.
“I’ve only ever seen her play against college players,” USA coach Cheryl Reeve told reporters in April about Clark. “I’ve never played against her, so it’s too early to suggest what she should improve on.”
The secret to the success of a program that has become an unstoppable force on the world stage isn’t tinkering.
Clark hasn’t participated in a USA Basketball event since joining the under-19 team in 2021. Unlike other players before her, she hasn’t quite made it big yet.
If you want to argue that USA Basketball should have put Clark on the roster solely because of the attention she would bring to basketball this summer, you have to ask yourself how reports of Clark spending most of her time on the bench actually benefit basketball.
Maybe being cut from the roster is the best thing for Clarke, too; the breather will be good for her.
Iowa’s season began last October and ended April 7. She was drafted a week later and has already played in 12 games as the WNBA tries to squeeze every viewing dollar out of its new superstar.
Clarke has been under a lot of pressure and expectation for the better part of two years, and her body and mind definitely need some rest.
For nearly 40 years, Team USA has dominated opponents on the world stage. There are too many elite, world-class athletes and not enough spots. It’s a true meritocracy. No pandering. The 12 best and most deserving athletes make it onto the roster.
Caitlin Clark will soon be synonymous with USA basketball, there’s no question about it, just like Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Candace Parker, Sue Bird, Taurasi, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson were.
The time is not now.
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