Dawn Staley admits that at this point, Caitlin Clark ‘would be in really high consideration’ of making Olympic roster
Staley, a part of the selection committee, acknowledged Clark’s improvement since the roster was announced on June 11.
Now that the Olympics are here, Dawn Staley has some thoughts on Caitlin Clark being snubbed from the US Olympic women’s basketball team’s roster.
Speaking with Mike Tirico on the NBC set during the US men’s 110-84 win in their opener over Serbia on Sunday, The South Carolina women’s basketball coach offered a candid assessment when prompted about Clark’s recent play.
“If we had to do it all over again, the way that [Clark]’s playing, she would be in really high consideration of making the team because she is playing head and shoulders above a lot of people,” said Staley, part of the team’s selection committee, on Sunday.
The US women’s roster was announced on June 11. Prior to the selections, Clark averaged 16.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in 13 games. Since June 13, Clark’s production has increased across the board, recording per-game marks of 17.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists in 13 contests.
Clark, a two-time player of the year at Iowa, has taken the league by storm and serving as a catalyst in the influx of public interest around the WNBA.
Staley guided the Gamecocks to a 87-75 victory over Clark and the Hawkeyes in April’s NCAA national championship game. Clark finished with 30 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in the contest.
The US women begin their quest for an eighth consecutive gold medal against Japan at 3 p.m. on USA and Peacock.
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