Caitlin Clark acknowledges Olympic dream, remains focused on Fever

Jun. 9—Caitlin Clark insists she’ll be watching and cheering for the United States women’s basketball team in Paris next month.

But Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides revealed being left off the 12-player Olympic roster might have lit another fuse for the rookie superstar.

“She got the call on the bus, and she texted me to let me know,” Sides told the media Sunday after practice at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. “I was just trying to keep her spirits (up), and the thing she said was, ‘Hey, coach, they woke a monster.’ That was awesome.”

Clark was more reserved with her comments to the media.

She acknowledged she grew up watching the Olympics and playing for Team USA remains a career goal.

But the 22-year-old said there’s no hard feelings about being left off this year’s star-studded roster.

“Honestly, (there’s) no disappointment,” Clark said. “I think it gives me something to work for. It’s a dream. Hopefully, one day I can be there. I think it’s just a little more motivation. You remember that. And hopefully in four years — when four years comes back around — I can be there.”

Clark never had an official tryout for the team.

She was scheduled to work with Team USA in April, but the camp was the same weekend as the women’s NCAA Final Four — where she led Iowa to a national runner-up finish for the second consecutive year — and Clark was unable to compete.

That meant her early games in the WNBA were the lone way to prove she deserves a spot with the world’s best.

Clark was named the league’s rookie of the month for May and is averaging 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 32.7% from 3-point range.

Clark tied a career high with 30 points during the Fever’s 85-83 win against the Washington Mystics on Friday, and her seven made 3-pointers in that contest tied a single-game WNBA record for rookies.

But she has struggled with turnovers — averaging 5.6 per game — and Indiana is off to a 3-9 start.

“That’s the hardest team in the world to make, right?” Sides said of the U.S. Olympic squad. “That is a tough team. She’s young. She’s gonna have so many opportunities in the future.”

The Fever, who have won two of their last three games, travel to face the Connecticut Sun on Monday before returning home to complete play in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup against the Atlanta Dream on Thursday.

A Father’s Day rematch with the Chicago Sky also looms at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, with the CBS broadcast likely to draw a lot of attention. On June 1, Indiana outlasted the Sky 71-70 in a game best remembered for Chicago guard Chennedy Carter‘s hard foul against Clark prior to an inbound pass.

Ruled an away from the play foul live, the infraction was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 foul a day later. After a week of loud debate on the subject — and Clark’s broader treatment during her introduction to the professional game — Clark said she does not believe Carter owes her an apology.

“Basketball’s competitive. I get it,” Clark told the media prior to Friday’s game. “Sometimes your emotions get the best of you — happened to me multiple times throughout the course of my career.”

The Olympic snub could prove to be a blessing in disguise.

The WNBA will take a one-month break for the Summer Games, giving Clark and her Indiana teammates a chance to rest their bodies and recover from a grueling early season schedule that included 11 games in the first 20 days of the regular season.

And if Team USA needs reinforcements at any point before its trip to Paris, Clark will be ready to answer the call.

“My main focus is on the Fever,” she said. “That’s what it is. If USA Basketball needs something, I have a great relationship with them. But the 12 they have selected are really, really great players. So I think they’re in pretty good hands.”