WNBA phenom Caitlin Clark surprisingly didn’t make the cut for the United States Women’s Basketball Team for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
But head coach Dawn Staley, speaking on NBC after the U.S. men’s team defeated Nikola Jokić and Serbia on Saturday, revealed that the decision would be different if it happened today.
Staley cited Clark’s recent elevated play as the reason.
“As a committee member you are charged with putting together the best team of players. The best talent. Caitlin is just a rookie in the WNBA. Wasn’t playing bad but wasn’t playing like she is playing now.
“If we had to do it all over the 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,” Staley said on NBC following the U.S. men’s win over Serbia on Sunday afternoon.
The news will no doubt come as a disappointment for Clark, who is already one of the game’s top competitors. But thankfully for her, she’ll have plenty of chances to capture glory at the Olympics in the future.
