USA Basketball said experience was a major reason Caitlin Clark was not on the U.S. women's Olympic roster that was officially revealed Tuesday.
The selection committee didn't believe the talented Clark had enough of high-level reps to be a member of the group headed to the Paris Games. The team includes seven players from the group that won gold in Tokyo 鈥 the seventh straight for the Americans.
Selection committee chair Jen Rizzotti said the committee was aware of the outside noise and pressure to select Clark, the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft who to the sport from her record-setting career in college at Iowa to now with the Indiana Fever.
鈥淗ere鈥檚 the basketball criteria that we were given as a committee and how do we evaluate our players based on that?鈥 Rizzotti told The Associated Press in an interview. 鈥淎nd 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 Cheryl (Reeve) and then sometimes a vote."
Diana Taurasi is back for a record sixth time. Her Olympic career started when she was a WNBA rookie in the 2004 Athens Game, and now the 42-year old will be on the team again. Other returners from the Tokyo Olympics are Breanna Stewart, A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd and Brittney Griner.
Besides the returners, the Americans also added 5-on-5 newcomers Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young, who helped the U.S. win the inaugural 3x3 gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021. Several first-time Olympians will join the team with Alyssa Thomas, Sabrina Ionescu and Kahleah Copper. All three played on the American team that won the World Cup in Australia in 2022.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great mix of talent across the board in terms of individual skill sets,鈥 USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said. 鈥淲e have veterans, newcomers and those in the middle. Good perspective and continuity is such an important thing and is why we鈥檝e been successful in the Olympics.鈥
All 12 of those players had senior national team experience. Clark, to no fault of her own, does not.
鈥淪he鈥檚 certainly going to continue to get better and better,鈥 Tooley said. 鈥淩eally hope that she鈥檚 a big part of our future going forward.鈥
The selection committee has a set of criteria to pick the team that includes playing ability, position played and adaptability to the international game. Marketing and popularity aren鈥檛 on that list.
鈥淚t would be irresponsible for us to talk about her in a way other than how she would impact the play of the team,鈥 Rizzotti said. 鈥淏ecause it wasn鈥檛 the purview of our committee to decide how many people would watch or how many people would root for the U.S. It was our purview to create the best team we could for Cheryl.鈥
Clark wasn't the only talented player left off the team.
Ariel Atkins was on the Tokyo Olympic team. Shakira Austin, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Brionna Jones all played on the World Cup team in 2022. Aliyah Boston and Arike Ogunbowale had gone to nearly every training camp. Ogunbowale has played well to start the WNBA season, averaging 26.4 points a game 鈥 second best in the league.
Any of those players, along with Clark, could be taken as an alternate if one of the 12 members of the team is unable to play. There are some questions about Gray's status. The Las Vegas point guard has not played yet this season while recovering from a leg injury suffered in the WNBA Finals last year.
Clark has said she will use not being selected for the to get better and potentially make the 2028 Olympic team.
鈥淚 think it just gives you something to work for,鈥 Clark told reporters after practice Sunday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a dream. Hopefully one day I can be there. I think it鈥檚 just a little more motivation. You remember that. Hopefully when four years comes back around, I can be there.鈥
While Clark won鈥檛 be headed to Paris, Griner will be for the first time since she was detained in a Russian prison for 10 months in 2022. She said she鈥檒l only play abroad with USA Basketball.
鈥淲hen you represent your country, you鈥檙e on the highest stage, it doesn鈥檛 get any higher than that,鈥 Griner said. 鈥淎nytime you get to put on the red, white and blue, USA across your chest, we鈥檒l get every country鈥檚 best shot. ... You鈥檙e playing for so much more. I can鈥檛 wait to go.鈥
Thomas was excited for her first chance to play in the Olympics.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge honor. I stepped away from USA Basketball for awhile, but it was something I grew up watching with my family,鈥 the 32-year-old Thomas said. 鈥淛ust an honor to be part of that group of players. It鈥檚 a prestigious group.鈥
Thomas gives Reeve the versatility of being able to guard any position as well as facilitate from the forward spot. The Connecticut Sun forward is currently leading the WNBA with 8.5 assists a game.
鈥淭his team fits my style of play. The defense aspect, the way Coach Reeve wants to play, I think I鈥檓 a perfect fit for that.鈥
Taurasi, who turned 42 on Tuesday, will break the record for most Olympics played in the sport of basketball. Five players, including former teammate Sue Bird, have competed in five.
鈥淭he thing that Diana does that I鈥檝e never seen anyone else do is that she makes everybody around her confident and play their best," Rizzotti said. 鈥漌hether she鈥檚 scoring a point, whether she starts, whether she plays limited minutes, whether she鈥檚 just a voice in the locker room, she infuses people with a level of self-confidence that has been a factor in us winning,鈥
The U.S. team will train for about week in Phoenix in July. After that, they'll play an exhibition game against Germany in London before heading to France.
In Paris, the Americans will play Japan, Belgium and Germany in Olympic pool play.
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AP Paris Olympic coverage
