Ahead of her team’s game versus the Indiana Fever on Sunday, Minnesota Lynx and Team USA women’s basketball head coach Cheryl Reeve was asked about Caitlin Clark’s Olympic future and her status as a potential member of a future national team.
Reeve dismissed the question from ESPN reporter Myron Medcalf.
“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?” Reeve said.
In early June, it was revealed Clark had been left off the United States’ Olympic women’s basketball squad headed to the Paris Games at the end of the month.
That decision was met with plenty of angst from fans and analysts who believed Clark’s popularity and her talent merited a spot on the Team USA roster .
After the roster was announced, USA Basketball selection committee chair and Connecticut Sun team president Jen Rizzotti explained the decision to The Associated Press. Rizzotti said Clark didn’t satisfy the committee’s selection criteria .
“Here’s the basketball criteria that we were given as a committee and how do we evaluate our players based on that? And 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 and then sometimes a vote,” Rizzotti said.
The selection committee has a set of criteria to pick the team that includes playing ability, position played and adaptability to the international game. Rizzotti said marketing and popularity aren’t a part of that selection criteria.
“It would be irresponsible for us to talk about her in a way other than how she would impact the play of the team. Because it wasn’t 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,” Rizzotti said.
The 2024 USA Basketball selection committee included committee chair Jen Rizzotti, South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, Atlanta Dream general manager Dan Padover, WNBA head of league operations Bethany Donaphin and retired WNBA champions and Olympians Seimone Augustus and Delisha Milton-Jones.
Clark and the Fever erased a seven-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter against the Lynx on Sunday. Clark scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to finish with 17 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals.
The Fever outscored the Lynx, 28-14, in the fourth quarter in an 81-74 win that improved Indiana to 11-14 on the season. Indiana is 8-4 in its 12 games dating to June 13.
Fever forward Aliyah Boston had a terrific game, finishing with 17 points and 16 rebounds on an 8-of-11 shooting performance. Indiana guard Kelsey Mitchell finished with a game-high 21 points, including 14 after halftime. NaLyssa Smith rounded out Indiana’s double-figure scorers with 11 points.
The Fever have one final game before the All-Star and Olympic break. That comes at the Dallas Wings on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.
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