Dawn Staley speaks on Caitlin Clark missing Olympics for this reason
Staley hinted at Clark possibly making Team USA if the selection process had taken place later in the WNBA season
Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark did not make the Team USA Olympic roster for the 2024 Paris Games, but Dawn Staley — who is a USA Basketball selection committee member — said perhaps she wouldn’t have been omitted if the selection process had happened later in the WNBA season.
“As a committee member, you’re charged with putting together the best team of players, the best talent,” Staley told NBC. “Caitlin is just a rookie in the WNBA, wasn’t playing bad, but wasn’t playing like she’s playing now. If we had to do it all over again, the way that she’s playing, she would be in really high consideration of making the team because she is playing head and shoulders above a lot of people.
“Shooting the ball extremely well, I mean she is an elite passer, she’s just got a great basketball IQ and she’s a little more seasoned in the pro game in a couple of months than she was two months ago.”
Clark made a name for herself while playing college basketball for the Iowa Hawkeyes. In her four years under head coach Lisa Bluder, Clark carried the team to back-to-back national title games while leading her squad in scoring and assists. She became known as an unstoppable offensive weapon with her impressibly long range, and she broke the all-time NCAA Division I scoring record with a total of 3,951 career points.
Clark is currently leading the WNBA with 8.2 assists per game and is third in 3-pointers with 71 makes from beyond the arc. She is averaging 17.1 points per contest, 13th best in the league.
While playing for Team USA as a rookie would have been a big achievement, Clark is probably enjoying the time off. She declined to play in the WNBA All-Star 3-Point Contest earlier this month to give herself a break.
“I’ve been playing basketball for a year straight,” Clark explained. “It’s not an easy thing to just show up and shoot off a rack. It’s not something I’ve done before. It’s not something I’ve had a lot of time to practice. I’ve been helping my team win games. Just enjoying this break. There will be plenty of opportunities for me to do that at some point.”
Dawn Staley, a member of the USWNT selection committee, asked about Caitlin Clark.
“If we had to do it all over again, the way that she’s playing, she would be in really high consideration of making the team because she is playing head and shoulders above a lot of people.” pic.twitter.com/hMYqTsPWzc
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) July 28, 2024
