USA Basketball Selection Committee Chair Jen Rizzotti on all the swirling discussion about Fever rookie Caitlin Clark being left off Team USA:
“When you base your decision on criteria, there were other players that were harder to cut because they checked a lot more boxes. Then sometimes it comes down to position, style of play for (coach Cheryl Reeve] and then sometimes a vote.
“It would be irresponsible for us to talk about her in a way other than how she would impact the play of the team. Because it wasn’t the purview of our committee to decide how many people would watch or how many people would root for the U.S. It was our purview to create the best team we could for (coach) Cheryl.”
Clark was the WNBA Rookie of the Month in May, the National Player of the Year the past two college seasons, and the leading scorer in the history of NCAA basketball. Her popularity has been the driving force in a big surge in women’s basketball ratings, attendance, and revenue.
