ESPN: The No. 1 draft pick of the WNBA stated that it “would be a dream” to represent Team USA in the Olympics.
Recently, the No. 1 draft pick of the WNBA stated that it “would be a dream” to represent Team USA in the Olympics.
Less than a month separates Caitlin Clark from her WNBA debut, but many are already speculating about her chances of competing in the July Olympics in Paris.
The Associated Press was informed this week by Jennifer Rizzotti, the chair of the selection committee for the Team USA women’s basketball team, that Clark, 22, is on the shortlist.
But, according to Rizzotti, the Indiana Fever guard will have to show herself in the first few weeks of the season as she competes with five other skilled American guards for a spot on the squad. Rizzotti is the Division I all-time leading scorer in the NCAA.
“Whether it’s for the present or the future, you always want to add new players to the pool,” Rizzotti stated to the publication. “Obviously, we adhere to our core values of skill, positional fit, commitment, and experience. It must be a synthesis of a whole body of work. Some people won’t be treated fairly, even now.
Because the last tryout was held earlier this month while Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes were contending for the NCAA National Championship, Clark was unable to attend. The rivalry for the WNBA’s first overall draft pick is very fierce. Alongside guards like Diana Taurasi, Chelsea Gray, Ariel Atkins, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, and Sabrina Ionescu, she is fighting for a position on the team.
After Sue Bird retired in 2022, Team USA, who will compete in the Summer Games later this year with hopes of winning gold for the eighth time in a row, recently had a guard spot available.
Although Clark is arguably the most well-known figure in women’s basketball, she is not guaranteed a spot on the squad. Rarely do rookies make the team; Breanna Stewart was the latest to do so in 2016.
Stewart, 29, recently told The Los Angeles Times, “Obviously, Clark is a great player and what she’s been able to accomplish in college, and now she’s taking it to the next level in the WNBA, and we’ll see how things go.” “Obviously, playing with the other players listed on this roster is what I want to do. Although I’m not sure what it will be, Caitlin has undoubtedly played for USA Basketball in the past, and I don’t think her tenure with the team will end anytime soon.
Playing for Team USA in the 2018 Olympics “would be a dream,” the Des Moines, Iowa, native told reporters during a news conference during the NCAA Tournament last month, according to CBS Sports.
And Clark is eager for that desire to come true as quickly as possible.
When asked if she had to turn down her invitation to the squad USA tryouts because of the Final Four, she replied, “You always want to grow up and be on the Olympic team.” “I’m lucky to have the chance to maybe avoid doing that because I want to play basketball with my team at the Final Four. If not, though, I’ll be there. I look up to the people on that roster, just as I did when I was younger. Therefore, receiving a camp invitation alone is something to be happy about, celebrate, and take pride in.
Clark may be able to play for the United States on the women’s three-on-three team if she is not selected for the five-on-five squad. But, as she told the AP, the objective is five on five.
“I want to be there,” Clark remarked. “I’ve never played three-on-three, but it seems like a pretty cool idea. But the dream and the aim is 5-on-5. You can’t script it better than that: to play alongside and against the greatest players in the world.
The Olympic roster for the American women’s basketball team is expected to be revealed after June 1st, according to the AP. On May 14, the Fever take on the Phoenix Sun in the first game of the regular season.
