Blinksportsnews247
Caitlin Clark was surprised, but not disappointed by being left off Team USA women’s basketball’s Olympics team this summer, a decision that’s been met with some regret, according to South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, who’s part of the selection group.
Staley explained the reasoning behind Clark’s omission over the weekend in Paris ahead of Team USA’s opener. Clark, the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever, is in the running for WNBA Rookie of the Year, alongside former college rival Angel Reese. “As a committee member, you’re charged with putting together the best team of players, the best talent,” Staley said Sunday during Olympics coverage. “Caitlin is just a rookie in the WNBA. (She) wasn’t playing bad, but she wasn’t playing like she was 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’s playing head and shoulders above a lot of people. Shooting the ball extremely well. “She’s an elite passer. She’s got a great basketball IQ and she’s a little more seasoned in the pro game than she was (two) months ago.”
Staley’s Gamecocks defeated Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA Tournament national title game earlier this year. During the postgame celebration and trophy presentation on the court, Staley took a minute to acknowledge Clark for her contributions to women’s basketball, including a record-breaking four-year career at Iowa that helped the sport reach new heights of popularity. “I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport,” Staley told the audience. “She has borne a tremendous load for our sport, and it will not stop her on a collegiate tour, but if she is the first choice in the WNBA Draft, she will boost that league as well. So, Caitlin Clark, if you’re out there, you are one of the GOATS.
Clark scored 3,951 points in her Hawkeyes career, setting multiple records. That is the most points ever scored by an NCAA Division I men’s or women’s player. It also overtook Lynette Woodard for the all-time record in major women’s college basketball.
Clark was expected to represent her country at the Olympics, but the surprising decision — as previously reported by USA Today columnist Christine Brennan — came amid concerns within the organization about Clark’s massive fanbase and how her supporters would react to the No. 1 overall WNBA Draft pick receiving limited playing time on the star-studded roster. While Clark’s omission sparked outrage in the basketball world, the Fever rookie openly stated that she was “no disappointment” with the decision.
Blinksportsnews247