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.’
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark was not selected for Team USA’s women’s basketball squad
© Provided by Daily Mail
Sarah Hirshland defended the ‘very disciplined’ process that led to Clark’s Team USA snub
© Provided by Daily Mail
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.’
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.
A’ja Wilson, Diana Taurasi and Chelsea Gray of Team USA high five during an exhibition vs. Germany
© Provided by Daily Mail
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.
News
PHOTOS: Brittany Mahomes Stole The Show With Her Baby Bump While Rocking A Romper & Custom Jacket At Chiefs-49ers Game
Brittany Mahomes (Photo via @brittanylynne/Instagram) Brittany Mahomes is very much enjoying life as a pregnant woman. Patrick Mahomes’s wife, who is expecting her third child, turned up…
VIDEO: Online Lip Readers Uncover Chris Godwin’s Heartbreaking Message After He Suffered Brutal Season-Ending Injury On ‘Monday Night Football’
Chris Godwin (Photo via ESPN) Online lip readers have revealed what Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin said while sitting in a cart following an injury so gruesome…
Social Media Was Going Crazy Over Erin Andrews’ Spicy Red Outfit On The Sidelines During Chiefs-49ers Game
Patrick Mahomes and Erin Andrews (Photo via FOX) Erin Andrews got her colors right for FOX’s broadcast of Sunday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. The…
VIDEO: OnlyFans Star Claudia Rose Breaks Her Silence With Wild Message After Running Onto The Field During Steelers-Jets ‘Monday Night Football’ Game
Claudia Rose (Photos via Twitter) Sunday’s NFL game was an action-packed tilt featuring Aaron Rodgers facing off against Russell Wilson in his first start for the Steelers, but somehow, Claudia Rose…
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Receive Devastating Injury Update On Superstar WR Mike Evans That’s Even Worse Than Expected
Mike Evans (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) After learning that Chris Godwin will be out for the rest of 2024, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers received another difficult injury update…
New Gruesome Slo-Mo Video Shows Close-Up Of Chris Godwin’s Ankle Snapping In The Wrong Direction And It Explains Why ESPN Refused To Show Any Replays During MNF
Chris Godwin (Photo via ESPN) A slow-motion clip has surfaced online that shows exactly how Chris Godwin was injured during the Ravens-Bucs showdown on ‘Monday Night Football.,…
End of content
No more pages to load