Per updates, after missing the US training camp, Caitlin Clark’s early play in the WNBA will be a tryout for her spot in the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team.
This month, Clark missed the US training camp as she appeared for the NCAA national championship, fortunately, the women’s roster for the Paris Games is to be finalized by June 1.
Clark's early play in the WNBA will be her tryout for the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team 🇺🇸
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Clark will start her WNBA career by convincing the U.S. women’s basketball selection committee she rightfully deserves a place on the team.
Indiana Fever selected Clark as the first overall draft pick and will be making her WNBA debut on May 3, she is on the list of the all-time leading scorers in college basketball history.
Jennifer Rizzotti, the chair of the selection committee, has said to the Associated Press,
“You always want to introduce new players into the pool, whether it’s for now or the future. We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty, and experience. It’s got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It’s still not going to be fair to some people.”
In case, Clark made it to the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team, she wouldn’t be the first WNBA rookie to be on an Olympic squad. Breanna Stewart earlier made it to the team in 2016.
The US women’s team will aim for an eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal, with their talented group of guards in the pool. The list includes five-time Olympian Diana Taurasi as well as Chelsea Gray, Ariel Atkins, and Jewell Loyd, who all played on the Tokyo Games team in 2021.
Rizzotti said during the 3×3 training camp last weekend,
“Thinking about Diana and Chelsea Gray and when their careers are done, you want to make sure you’re in a position with these upcoming guards with Sabrina, Kelsey and Caitlin that you feel good that our future is set.”
