Coach Christie Sides Gets Honest About Having Zero Fever Players on Team USA

The Indiana Fever have three players participating in the WNBA All-Star game, Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell. However, zero Fever players were selected to represent Team USA at the 2024 Olympics.

Clark spoke to reporters about the omission following the Fever's 81-74 win over the Minnesota Lynx, a team coached by Cheryl Reeve, leader of the U.S. women's national team.

"That's what you dream of as a young kid, getting to represent your country," Clark said. "And, obviously, me and [Boston] having the experience of playing for the junior national team, we know how fun that is and how cool that is to wear 'USA' across your chests."

Before Indiana's matchup against the Dallas Wings on July 17, Fever head coach Christie Sides pointed out the silver lining in having nearly the entire team in Indiana during the Olympic break.

"I mean it's huge," Sides said. "It's huge to have your whole team... before the season started, I thought we'd have two or three (make the team.)"

The only Fever player absent during the Olympic break is Kristy Wallace, who's representing Australia's national team in Paris. " And Sides was thrilled for the veteran. "Kristy Wallace is living the team right now getting to play with the Opals," she noted.

"But just to have 11 of 12 there to practice and to grow and get better, it's just going to be a great opportunity for us."

As for Clark, she also sees the benefit of not being on Team USA. "I told Christie, I was like, it's probably going to feel really weird," the No. 1 overall pick said of taking an entire week off after the All-Star game.

"I'm probably going to be like, anxious that I'm not touching a basketball–– but I think I need to not. I think it'll be really good."

The Fever already look like a vastly different and much improved team since the start of the season. With extra practices and some much-needed rest, the Fever can hopefully come back in even stronger after the nearly month-long break.

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