South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley suggested if Team USA had to do it all over again, they’d be thinking a little harder about adding Caitlin Clark to the Olympic team.
Clark was famously snubbed from the squad despite being the most recognizable women’s basketball player on the planet. And certainly one of the most talented.
Staley, who also happens to be a USA Basketball selection committee member, said Clark’s recent play would make her a strong candidate for making the team.
“As a committee member, you’re charged with putting together the best team of players, the best talent,” Staley said in an interview with NBC’s Mike Tirico.
“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.”
“If we had to do it all over again, the way she’s playing, [Caitlin Clark] would be in high consideration of making the team”
— Clark Report (@CClarkReport) July 28, 2024
Dawn Staley on Caitlin Clark’s omission from the Women’s Olympic Basketball team pic.twitter.com/UchPSFyXvC
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Caitlin Clark Didn’t Make The Olympic Team For A Different Reason
Staley’s comments about Caitlin Clark not making the Olympic team, but earning reconsideration due to her better play, are reasonable and probably have a kernel of truth to them.
She has improved, especially in the passing game.
However, that is not the reason that was reported at the time of her snub.
The Indiana Fever star was reportedly deprived of the opportunity to represent her country at the Olympic games in Paris, France because the veteran players on the team were concerned about her fans complaining about playing time.
Two sources close to USA Basketball told USA Today reporter Christine Brennan “concern over how Clark’s millions of fans would react to what would likely be limited playing time on a stacked roster was a factor in the decision-making.”
Instead, they opted for Diana Taurasi, who is competing in her sixth Olympics at age 42, and her Phoenix Mercury teammate, Brittney Griner.
USA Women’s Basketball
The USA women’s basketball team is currently on a 55-game Olympic winning streak and has won seven consecutive gold medals since the 1996 Atlanta Games.
It’s unlikely they will lose – with or without Caitlin Clark on the roster.
Still, having the most popular and buzzworthy rookie in WNBA history on the roster might have generated interest from fans, especially since interest in the Olympics has waned in recent years.
The U.S. women’s national basketball team will play its first game in the 2024 Olympics on Monday, July 29, when they square off against Japan.
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