Caitlin Clark’s college coach sounds off.
Iowa women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder expressed puzzlement by the exclusion of Caitlin Clark from Team USA’s roster ahead of the Paris Olympics. She wonders why there was no foresight used during the selection process for the No. 1 overall pick of the Indiana Fever.
“I obviously would’ve loved to have seen her on that team, but we have to remember it the hardest team to make,” Bluder told The Washington Post this week. “The 12 women they have chosen are exceptional women. My only question is, what about the future?”
Bluder watched Clark become college basketball’s all-time leading scorer during her illustrious career with the Hawkeyes, which included consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament’s national championship game and multiple Big Ten titles.
The stunning decision, USA Today columnist Christine Brennan reports, came amid concerns from within the organization around Clark’s massive fanbase and how her supporters would react to the WNBA’s most popular receiving limited playing time on the star-studded roster.
While Clark’s omission came with deafening opposition from the basketball community, the Fever rookie said she has “no disappointment” in the move.
Clark made a strong case for inclusion on the Team USA roster with her tremendous start to her professional career. Across her first 14 games, the Iowa product averaged 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. She has a pair of 30-point outings on her ledger and drilled seven 3-pointers in one of those scoring outbursts.
“I think it just gives you something to work for,” Clark said after receiving the news of her exclusion, via Chloe Peterson of the Indy Star. “It’s a dream. Hopefully one day I can be there. I think it’s just a little more motivation. You remember that. Hopefully when four years comes back around, I can be there.”
Clark is reportedly a top alternate choice for Team USA if one of the selected players is unable to attend the Olympics.
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“I think it would be a great opportunity,” Clark said of playing in Paris. “A lot of ifs. My main focus is on the Fever. That’s what it is. USA Basketball means something, have great relationship with them, but the 12 (players) they have selected are really great players, so they’re in good hands.
