US Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland has defended Team USA’s snub of Caitlin Clark, as she called the process that led to her exclusion a ‘very disciplined’ one.
The WNBA rookie star was controversially left off of the USA basketball squad in June, with 42-year-old guard Diana Taurasi claiming a spot over her.
And while some were perplexed that Clark didn’t make the 12-player roster, Hirshland is confident that USA Basketball made the right choice.
‘When you look at the whole thing in totality, I would say USA Basketball has had a very disciplined process with people who know more about the sport of women’s basketball than anyone else in the world,’ she said on the Bloomberg Business of Sports podcast, via Awful Announcing.
‘And I trust that they know exactly what they’re doing. The women have won the gold medal consistently, and our hope is that they’ve gotten it right yet again and we’re going to win another gold.’
Hirshland also mentioned the fact that Clark had not been a part of the team’s qualifying run, calling the selection process a ‘multiyear process.’
‘That team of people have to actually qualify for the Games. It isn’t a given that the US has qualified for the Games,’ Hirshland added. ‘And that happens over the course of quite a bit of time.’
Clark did participate in the 2019 and 2021 U19 FIBA World Cup for the USA.
She was also named as an alternate for this summer’s squad before ultimately missing out.
After some early growing pains in the WNBA, Clark has rounded into form and has already set records in the W.
She’s already the Indiana Fever’s single-season assist leader, and set a rookie record with 19 dimes vs. the Dallas Wings.
Clark is averaging 17.1 points per game and a league-leading 8.2 assists in the W with the league on its Olympics break.
The USA women’s basketball team will begin their Olympics on Monday vs. Japan, after beating Germany in a tuneup game.
The Americans will later face Belgium and Germany in group play as they look to win their eighth consecutive gold medal.
