The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics are right around the corner and this has to be the least hyped Olympics of my 35-year-old life. Even with the sports world sitting in offseason abyss purgatory, nobody is talking about Paris ’24.
You know what would have helped the Olympic hype train here in America, though? Caitlin Clark, the 22-year-old phenom Indiana Fever basketball player, who is single-handedly selling out NBA (not WNBA) stadiums days before she plays in them. Unfortunately, she wasn’t asked to be on the 2024 Team USA.
She’s not established enough, apparently. At least, that’s what the Team USA selection committee has claimed. Early on, the tried to argue that she wasn’t good enough yet. Of course, that argument that didn’t hold water long.
Clark has been mostly fantastic all WNBA season, so far. She is on pace to break just about every rookie record on the league’s books, and she’s only getting better with more experience.
Cheryl Reeve gets weird about Caitlin Clark (again)
Minnesota Lynx head coach and president of basketball operations, Cheryl Reeve, doubles as the head coach for Team USA. She does not appear to be a fan of Clark’s. One thing is for sure, she definitely does not like being asked about he. Cryptically tweeting about her on occasion? Now, that is different.
Prior to the Lynx playing the Fever on Sunday, and the PoBO got weird (again) when asked about Clark’s affect on the very large Target Center crowd, saying she doesn’t “give two shits” about the Fever having more fans than the Lynx. When asked if she gives one shit, Reeve doubled down. “Not even one shit”.
Alrighty then…
Reeve was also asked asked about Clark’s exclusion from Team USA. As noted above, she really doesn’t like questions about the 6’0″ former Hawkeye. Apparently, asking the head coach of Team USA about Team USA isn’t permitted when the Olympics are a week away, especially if it’s about “you know who”.
“Why the hell would I answer a national team question? I’m wearing Lynx. And I’m the head coach of the national team but I’m not the chair of the committee. Anybody want to venture into anything else?”
Cheryl Reeve (per ESPN )
Is Caitlin Clark good enough for Team USA? (Yes)
In 25 games this season, Clark is averaging 16.8 points, 7.8 assists and 5.8 rebounds, in 35 minutes per night. She’s 14th in the WNBA in points, 1st in assists, 9th in steals and 5th in minutes. She’s even top-15 in blocks and top-20 in rebounds.
Related: Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve Mad at WNBA for Spotlighting Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
Yes, her turnover numbers are super high (5.6 per game), but so is her usage. Indiana pretty much runs everything through her, at this point, just like Iowa did while she was in college. Caitlin is far and away the best player on the team, so it makes sense.
The young rookie phenom has played all of the hate off really well all season, and you can tell she is really starting to rub off on her teammates, who didn’t seem all that accepting of her early in the season. But it’s pretty clear she is starting to take all these unnecessary shots from Reeve personally.
Clark grew up a Lynx fan so she was asked if moving to No. 2 on the all-time WNBA rookie assists list at Minnesota meant more. She responded, “Not really… probably something I won’t remember. I don’t know, it’s cool…”.
Team USA needs to fire Cheryl Reeve
Look, Reeve’s hard-headedness and refusal to accept Caitlin Clark could have gone on for awhile and been forgiven. But after last night, there is not a world in which Clark and Reeve hold hands and sing Kumbaya on the FIBA or Olympic podium anytime in the near future.
If Cheryl thinks answering questions about Caitlin’s exclusion from Team USA is annoying now, wait until she gets in front of international reporters in Paris. There are going to be 10 questions about Clark, for every one question about anything else.
Related: Final Team USA Roster Proves Cheryl Reeve Hates Caitlin Clark More Than She Loves Women’s Basketball
Women’s basketball needs Clark WAAAAYYYYYY more than it needs Cheryl Reeve or the Minnesota Lynx. Maybe that’s why she is so upset. Either way, this ridiculous fued almost certainly ends in the 4-time WNBA champion no longer being head coach of Team USA, after these Olympics in Paris.
USA needs Caitlin Clark on its women’s basketball team and she needs to get along with the head coach of that team. Clearly, that isn’t going to be Cheryl Reeve.
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