Iowa’s Caitlin Clark makes U.S. women’s basketball training camp roster

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Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark was among the 14 players selected for Team USA’s training camp roster in Cleveland on April 3-5, USA Basketball announced Thursday. Clark could participate if she doesn’t advance to the Final Four, which is held in Cleveland concurrently with the USA training camp.

Clark has earned three gold medals with USA Basketball junior national teams, most recently on the 2021 USA Women’s U19 National Team. She averaged a team-high 14.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game and was named MVP of the competition.

Clark, 22, is the only current collegiate player listed on the roster. She’s almost certainly the top pick in the WNBA Draft next month and her accolades merit strong consideration. She’s the leading scorer in NCAA basketball history — men’s or women’s — with 3,830 points. On Monday, Clark set the NCAA women’s single-season points record with 1,113.

There’s also the hold Clark has in the national landscape. The Hawkeyes set women’s basketball viewership records on six different networks or streaming platforms this year, and Iowa’s first two NCAA Tournament games were by far the most watched for a non-Final Four in the sport’s history. Iowa’s 62-52 win against West Virginia on Monday recorded 5.4 million viewers, blowing out the previous non-Final Four record which was set two days early by Iowa against Holy Cross (3.23 million viewers).

All but two of Iowa’s 35 games this year were sold out — home, away or neutral. All eyes are on Clark no matter where she plays. If she’s in Paris, you can bet American homes will tune in to see the Iowa superstar, no matter how many minutes she gets.

The Athletic unanimously named Clark the National Player of the Year this season. She led the country in points (31.8) and assists per game (8.8).

Nine Olympians made the training camp roster, including five-time Olympic champion Diana Taurasi, Ariel Atkins, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young.

With Clark making the training camp roster, she’s now in the pool of candidates for the Team USA selection committee to decide on the Olympic team. The committee is made up of Dawn Staley, Seimone Augustus, DeLisha Milton-Jones, Jennifer Rizzotti and WNBA head of league operations Bethany Donaphin.

It would not be unusual for Clark to make the Olympic roster as a recent grad. Breanna Stewart made the roster in 2016 following UConn. Candace Parker (2008) and Taurasi (2004) were the others.

The final roster release is expected in late spring.

The women’s Olympic basketball tournament tips off July 28 and concludes August 11. Team USA’s first game is against Japan on July 29. The U.S. women’s basketball team is attempting to win its eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal.

Team USA training camp roster

Shakira Austin
Ariel Atkins
Aliyah Boston
Caitlin Clark
Chelsea Gray
Brittney Griner
Rhyne Howard
Sabrina Ionescu
Jewell Loyd
Kelsey Plum
Breanna Stewart
Diana Taurasi
A’ja Wilson
Jackie Young

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(Photo: Matthew Holst / Getty Images)