The biggest news in the basketball world in recent days is the expected snub of Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark from the women’s Team USA roster for the Summer Olympics in Paris. While an official announcement has not been made, a roster leak over the weekend was confirmed.
The 12-player roster, full of WNBA stars, does not include the first overall pick from the 2024 WNBA Draft. It is an omission that has left many basketball fans scratching their head, as Caitlin Clark has been a driving force in growing the game of women’s basketball.
After her historic career at Iowa, she has carried that star power into the WNBA. Despite the struggles of the Indiana Fever, who are 3-10 on the season, they are a huge draw in every city. They are selling out crowds at home and on the road, and opponents need to find bigger venues to host their visits in.
The roster decisions aren’t made solely based on basketball. A lot goes into it, and Team USA missed a golden opportunity to help bring more eyes to the game as people tune in to see Caitlin Clark play.
However, there is something she is currently lacking that only time can provide; experience. That is the main reason according to selection committee chair Jen Rizzotti that Caitlin Clark did not make Team USA.
“Here’s the basketball criteria that we were given as a committee and how do we evaluate our players based on that?” Rizzotti told The Associated Press in an interview. “And when you base your decision on criteria, there were other players that were harder to cut because they checked a lot more boxes. Then sometimes it comes down to position, style of play for [coach] Cheryl [Reeve] and then sometimes a vote.”
It is easy to say Caitlin Clark should have made the team, but who would be left off in that scenario? All of the players who were selected are deserving of their spots and check off just as many and in most cases even more of the proverbial boxes Rizzotti mentioned.
Given how talented she is, it is only a matter of time until Caitlin Clark has a spot on Team USA. But, 2024 just wasn’t her time given the other options available. She isn’t the only talented player who didn’t make the cut but is by far the biggest storyline when it comes to players snubbed.
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