Caitlin Clark has already heard her name called once this week, but the hottest No. 1 draft pick in WNBA history is still in contention to make an even more exclusive roster this summer.
Even before he played in a WNBA game, Clark was already at the center of discussions on the U.S. Olympic roster, as the United States seeks its eighth straight gold medal at this summer's Paris Olympics. The Iowa State star was invited to senior varsity training camp in April, but was unable to attend because the Hawkeyes advanced to the Final Four that same weekend.
A six-person committee led by USA 3×3 head coach Jennifer Rizzotti and South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, and including former star player Seimone Augustus, will make the final decision. Cheryl Reeve, who will take over as national head coach from Staley, will not play a major role in the selection process. The Minnesota Lynx coach and director of basketball operations is happy to ignore the incident.
“Good,” Reeve said with a hearty laugh during Wednesday's U.S. Olympic Media Summit.
The men's team announced its Olympic squad on Wednesday, but the women's team likely won't announce its final group until the summer. In 2021, USA Basketball did not name its women's roster until about a month before the start of the Tokyo Games. The WNBA season begins on May 14th and will be suspended from July 21st to August 14th for the Olympics. The Paris Games begin on July 26th.
Reeve said of the reduction in members, “I just know it's a big deal.'' “Every time they made a decision, this time it was Caitlin, last time it was Nneka.” [Ogwumike], before that was Candice Parker. …No matter what you do, you've left someone behind that you really think you should have brought. That's a big problem for the US, right? ”
Brianna Stewart was the last WNBA rookie to be selected to the U.S. Olympic team in 2016. She is a star for the New York Liberty and currently the WNBA's Most Valuable Player, and she knows the difficult road that awaits Clark if she qualifies.
Stewart remembers how unforgiving the transition from college to the pros was. He won his fourth national championship with the University of Connecticut on April 5th, was drafted first overall by the Seattle Storm on April 14th, was named to the Olympic team on April 27th, and played in the WNBA for the first time. Until then, she felt like she was running at full speed on a hamster wheel. Game on May 15th.
“I just tried to be a sponge,” Stewart said. “I knew I was the youngest on this Olympic team, so my advice would be to be a sponge and just take it all in. It's tough. There's a lot for Caitlin in her rookie year anyway. will be thrown at you.”
Stewart turned to former WNBA and Olympic teammate Sue Bird for support through her transition to the pros. Her five-time Olympic gold medalist will retire in 2022.
Bird's departure heralds a new era at point guard in the United States. Las Vegas Aces star Chelsea Gray will likely return for her second Olympics, but a solid frontcourt that includes Stewart, two-time WNBA champion A'ja Wilson, and two-time Olympic gold medalist Reeve acknowledged that there is a relative lack of depth at the position compared to the previous season. Britney Greiner.
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu and forwards Aliyah Boston (Indiana Fever), Ryne Howard (Atlanta Dream) and Shakira Austin (Washington Mystics) are vying for their first Olympic team. Las Vegas Aces guards Kelsey Plumb and Jackie Young also participated in the 5×5 team training camp in April after helping the U.S. win a 3×3 gold medal in Tokyo. Competition will also be fierce for Clark, whose record-breaking career in the NCAA made her a crossover star who pushed women's basketball into the mainstream.
“Obviously, she's a great player, not to mention what she was able to accomplish in college, and now she's moved up to the next level in the WNBA. We'll see how things go,” Stewart said. said. “Obviously, what I want to do is play with the other players that are on this roster. I don't know how it's going to go, but Kaitlyn has played for USA Basketball before. I'm sure there will be, and I don't think her time with USA Basketball will be over anytime soon.”
Clark has experience on the international stage, but only at the junior level, winning gold medals at the 2019 and 2021 FIBA U19 World Cups and the 2017 FIBA U16 Americas Championship. She did not play in last summer's Americop Tournament on a team that included recent WNBA draft picks Rikea Jackson, Angel Reese and Charisma Osborn.
Stewart made her Olympic debut as a WNBA rookie, but was already a regular on the senior national team. She was the only college player among her 32 players to qualify for the 2014 FIBA World Championship and was a finalist as a rising junior at UConn.
She was a “baby” when the U.S. team won gold in Rio, Stewart recalled with a wistful smile. She learned from stars like Bird, Taurasi, Tamika Catchings, Sylvia Fowles, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen. It would be easy to have 12 WNBA veterans on any Olympic team, but the organizing committee's intentional roster composition that emphasizes a combination of experience and youth is critical to sustaining a dynasty across generations. was.
“We come together and have a sense of selflessness and pride because of the culture we were thrown into when we were young,” Stewart said. “The next generation of people… now they know. We stand together to represent our country.”
