CLEVELAND — When Caitlin Clark received an invitation to USA Basketball's training camp during this weekend's Final Four, the two-time National Player of the Year tentatively said yes and herself. denied.
But as it turns out, Clark is a little busy.
Thirteen WNBA players will be roaming around Cleveland, practicing for three days this week, while Clark and his Iowa State teammates prepare for the national semifinal game against Yukon, scheduled to tip off Friday at 9 p.m. ET. We are preparing for
“Anytime I'm invited to do something for USA Basketball, it's a great honor,” Clark said. “For me, it was a win-win, do this or do that. Obviously, that was my focus. I wanted to get back to the Final Four with this group.”
So what does this mean for Clark and the Olympic team?
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Less than two weeks later, Clark was added to the Olympic list, making him the only active college athlete to do so. Typically, the players who remain on his final 12-man roster participate in training camps leading up to the Olympics. However, according to USAB's selection procedures, attending training camp is not a difficult requirement, meaning Clark is still eligible to be on Paris' roster.
USAB does not have any further training camps scheduled before leaving for Paris, leaving Clark with only one exhibition opportunity to step into the senior national team, this summer's WNBA All-Star Game (she has (has previous USAB experience) and has won three gold medals with junior teams).
However, there is precedent for a rookie player being thrown into the bottom of the rankings. Diana Taurasi, expected to be on the 2024 roster, played on the senior varsity team just after the 2004 Final Four during her senior year. As in the case of 48 hours.
Taurasi adapted quickly, averaging 9.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists in three exhibition games for the U.S. national team. He played in all eight games at the 2004 Athens Olympics, scoring 8.5 points per game.
Regardless of whether Clark's career ends in Friday's semifinals or Sunday's national championship, she is expected to be drafted April 15th and be the No. 1 overall pick to the Indiana Fever. Her WNBA schedule will be suspended for the Olympic break from July 21st to August. 14.
Clark noted Thursday that there are “so many distractions (off the court)” in the Final Four, but USAB officials are unsure if and how she will make the final roster in Paris. He said he had not spoken to anyone. But she stressed that she knows how the USAB system works.
“There are people who will (speak) for me,” Clark said with a smile. “Growing up, I think my dream was always to be on the national team and play for the national team. A lot of the players in that pool (now) are my idols. They're the guys I grew up watching. People wanted to be like that.”
And for now, it seems like there's still a chance Clark will become someone's idol this summer.
