Why Caitlin Clark could pose a dilemma for Team USA at the Olympics
USA Basketball will look for its eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal this summer, with the first step coming at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Antwerp, Belgium, February 8-11. The selection of twelve players for that tournament will be the first approach to the team that will defend the Americans' gold medal in Paris.
Based on the 18 players invited to the national team camp Feb. 2-4 in Brooklyn, NY, the committee has an immensely challenging task in selecting that final roster, a decision likely to be further complicated by current colleagues. – mainly Caitlin Clark, but American basketball veterans Paige Bueckers and Cameron Brink could also play a role in this – who will turn professional at the end of the 2023-2024 season.
The final selection will ultimately make a statement about what the committee values: youth and the future or experience and proven success. USA Basketball has generally balanced the young and old on the international team so that the younger players can carry the torch and maintain the culture. Whether or not to include Clark poses a unique dilemma given the wealth of options before the committee.
18 athletes will be at camp with the 🇺🇸 #USABWNT February 2-4 in preparation for the #FIBAOQT in 🇧🇪Antwerp.
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) January 23, 2024
On the opposite end of the spectrum from Clark is Diana Taurasi, one of eight 2021 Tokyo Olympians who is back in the national team pool. Taurasi wants to become the first basketball player of either gender to compete in six Olympic Games. She would also be the oldest-ever basketball Olympian and the third American woman of any sport to compete in six games. Assuming Taurasi is healthy, she is a lock to return to the roster. The 41-year-old even took part in USA Basketball College's barnstorming tour against Tennessee and Duke in November, which was probably not required for a player with her pedigree.
Taurasi is joined by Ariel Atkins, Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson from the Tokyo team. Atkins is the only one of those returnees – aside from Griner, who has extenuating circumstances, and is another lock to play in red, white and blue if she so chooses – whose play has declined since the last Olympiad, but given that she also played for the USA at the 2022 FIBA World Cup, Atkins will likely be prioritized by the committee. However, her status as a 2024 Olympian is probably the weakest of these eight players.
That leaves at most five, and probably four, spots for new blood, and the competition is fierce. Kahleah Copper, Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney, Kelsey Plum and Alyssa Thomas were all also part of the World Cup squad. Ionescu averaged the fewest minutes in Australia, but she, Thomas and Plum were all All-WNBA selections the past two seasons, with the latter two finishing in the top five in MVP voting. Plum's history with the three-on-three team should also give her an edge with the committee, which brings us to her fellow gold medalists in that sport's debut in 2021: Allisha Gray and Jackie Young. Both players seem too good to be left out, especially Young, but that's always the case with the US national team.
All seven of these players would be reasonable selections for the Olympics, and that doesn't even include Aliyah Boston, Rhyne Howard and Arike Ogunbowale – three of the younger camp invites. All Boston has done is put together one of the most decorated college careers in recent history, plus collect multiple gold medals for the U.S. at the youth level, while earning Rookie of the Year honors and starting in the WNBA All-Star Game. Frankly, Boston seems like just another lock, occupying the sixth spot in the frontcourt behind Wilson, Stewart, Griner, Thomas and Collier. Howard and Ogunbowale – both All-Stars who would be the top scorers on virtually any other national team in the world – are likely on the outside looking forward to the 2028 Olympics.
Then there is the youth question. The No. 1 pick in the 2004, 2008 and 2016 WNBA drafts made the Olympic teams rookies (the omission of Nneka Ogwumike in 2012 was curious at the time, and her absence from subsequent Olympic selections has made that criticism even more ridiculous in retrospect ), and a similarly loaded draft class is on deck to continue that tradition. The youngsters take their place at the end of the roster and then grow into the future leaders. Wilson has spoken about teaching Taurasi and Sue Bird how to set the standard, which she put into practice with Stewart at the last World Cup.
It would make sense for Clark to be the latest ingénue to take her place as Team USA's twelfth player, but with 2004 No. 1 Taurasi still on the roster, there might not be enough room. Perhaps the committee will find solace in Boston representing the current generation as a cohort of older guards compete in the backcourt. Deciding between Atkins, Copper, Allisha Gray, Ionescu, Ogunbowale, Plum and Young which figures will have three spots will be difficult enough without adding Clark to the mix.
On the other hand, the Caitlin Clark effect is real. How can USA Basketball choose not to capitalize on the insane popularity of one of the game's biggest stars when whoever takes her place isn't capable of playing many minutes anyway? The Olympic Games are the largest showcase of women's basketball worldwide. A player like Clark belongs on that stage if the selection committee wants to build on the momentum the sport is generating in the United States.
There will be plenty of superstars on the national team whether Clark makes it or not. And the US will be prohibitive favorites no matter which combination of these players suits up in Paris. However, the specific makeup of this roster will reveal what the committee prioritises, whether it is the history of the national team, domestic success, the balance of youth and veterans or the most marketable names. All these options are on the table.
(Photo by Caitlin Clark: Marc Piscotty/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)