With Team USA women's basketball set to make their Paris debut Monday, one star player noticeably won't be on the court.
Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark has made significant strides in her first WNBA season, predictably so after she lit it up on college courts.
However, Clark was not among the 12 players selected for the women's team in Paris, which drew mixed reactions due to how the Iowa product has helped grow the sport.
Speaking with NBC's Mike Tirico Sunday, Dawn Staley, head coach of South Carolina and part of the U.S. selection committee, praised Clark and said she'd be in "high consideration" to make the team if they remade their picks today.
"As a committee member, you're charged with putting together the best team," Staley said. "Caitlin is just a rookie in the WNBA. She wasn't playing bad, but she wasn't playing like she's playing now. If we had to do it all over again, the way she's playing, she'd be in really high consideration of making the team because she is playing head and shoulders above a lot of people."
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Clark, who could be tapped as an alternate if needed, will likely have to wait until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to make her debut in the competition.
Through 26 games this season, Clark is averaging 17.1 points, 8.2 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks on a 41/33/89 shooting split with 13/8/4 volume.
The women's squad isn't hurting for talent, though, as it features stars including Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas, Brittney Griner, A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Diana Taurasi, Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, and Sabrina Ionescu.
Tipoff for its first pool game against Japan is slated for Monday, July 29 at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT.
