USA Basketball said experience was a big reason Caitlin Clark was not on the U.S. Olympic women’s roster, which was officially unveiled Tuesday.
The selection committee did not believe that the talented Clark had enough high-level representatives to be a member of the group heading to the Paris Games. The team consists of seven players from the group that won gold in Tokyo – the seventh consecutive time for the Americans.
Selection committee chairman Jen Rizzotti said the committee was aware of the outside noise and pressure to select Clark, the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, who has attracted millions of new fans to sports, from her record-setting college career at Iowa to now with the Indiana Fever.
“These are the basketball criteria that we have been given as a committee and how do we evaluate our players based on that?” Rizzotti told The Associated Press in an interview. “And if you base your decision on criteria, there were other players who were harder to remove because they ticked a lot more boxes. Then sometimes it comes down to position, playing style for Cheryl (Reeve) and then sometimes a mood.”
Diana Taurasi is back for a record sixth time. Her Olympic career began when she was a WNBA rookie at the 2004 Athens Game, and now the 42-year-old will be back on the team. Other returnees from the Tokyo Olympics include Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd and Brittney Griner.
In addition to the returners, the Americans also added 5-on-5 newcomers Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young, who helped the U.S. win its first 3×3 gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Games. Several debut Olympians will join the team with Alyssa Thomas, Sabrina Ionescu and Kahleah Copper. All three played on the American team that won the 2022 World Cup in Australia.
“It’s a great mix of talent across the board in terms of individual skills,” USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said. “We have veterans, newcomers and people in the middle. A good perspective and continuity are so important and that is why we were successful at the Olympic Games.”
All twelve players had senior national team experience. Through no fault of her own, Clark doesn’t.
“She’s definitely going to keep getting better and better,” Tooley said. “I really hope she will be a big part of our future moving forward.”
The selection committee has a set of criteria to choose the team, including playing ability, position played and adaptability to the international game. Marketing and popularity are not on that list.
“It would be irresponsible of us to talk about her in any other way than how she would impact the team’s play,” Rizzotti said. “Because it wasn’t our committee’s authority to decide how many people would watch or how many people would advocate for America. It was our authority to create the best team we could for Cheryl.”
Clark wasn’t the only talented player to leave the team.
Ariel Atkins was part of the Tokyo Olympic team. Shakira Austin, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Brionna Jones all played on the 2022 World Cup team. Aliyah Boston and Arike Ogunbowale had been to almost every training camp. Ogunbowale has played well to start the WNBA season, averaging 26.4 points per game – second best in the league.
Any of these players, along with Clark, can be substituted if any of the team’s twelve members are unable to play. There are some questions about Gray’s status. The Las Vegas point guard has not played yet this season while recovering from a leg injury he suffered in last year’s WNBA Finals.
Clark has said she will use it to avoid being selected for the Paris Games as an incentive to improve and possibly make the 2028 Olympic team.
“I think it just gives you something to work for,” Clark told reporters after practice Sunday. “It’s a dream. Hopefully one day I can be there. I think it’s just a little bit more motivation. You remember that. Hopefully in four years I can be there.”
While Clark won’t be going to Paris, Griner will play internationally for the first time since she was held in a Russian prison for ten months in 2022. She said she will only play abroad with USA Basketball.
“When you represent your country, you’re on the highest stage, it doesn’t get any higher than that,” Griner said. “Every time you wear the red, white and blue USA on your chest, we get the best chance of any country. … You play for so much more. I can’t wait to go.”
Thomas was excited about her first chance to play in the Olympics.
“It’s a huge honor. I took a break from USA Basketball for a while, but it was something I watched as a kid with my family,” said the 32-year-old Thomas. “Just an honor to be part of that group of players. It is a prestigious group.”
Thomas gives Reeve the versatility of being able to guard any position and facilitate from the forward spot. The Connecticut Sun forward currently leads the WNBA with 8.5 assists per game.
“This team suits my playing style. The defensive aspect, the way Coach Reeve wants to play, I think I fit in perfectly.”
Taurasi, who turned 42 on Tuesday, will break the record for most Olympic Games played in basketball. Five players, including former teammate Sue Bird, have participated in five.
“The thing that Diana does, which I’ve never seen anyone else do, is she makes everyone around her feel confident and play their best,” Rizzotti said. “Whether she scores a point, whether she starts, whether she plays limited minutes, or she is just a voice in the locker room, she gives people a level of confidence that has been a factor in our victory,”
The American team will train in Phoenix for about a week in July. They will then play a friendly against Germany in London before heading to France.
In Paris, the Americans will play in the Olympic pool against Japan, Belgium and Germany.
___
Olympic coverage from AP Paris https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
