In a move that has long been speculated as a possibility, Caitlin Clark did indeed receive an invite from USA Basketball for its Olympic training camp in Cleveland on April 3-5.
Of course, that’s smack dab in the midst of the women’s NCAA Tournament. If everything goes according to plan for top-seeded Iowa (31-4, 15-3 Big Ten), the Hawkeyes will be off to Cleveland already for the Final Four.
14 athletes, including 9 Olympians, will be in attendance at 🇺🇸 #USABWNT training camp in Cleveland April 3-5! 👊 pic.twitter.com/o2l25qZe3i
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) March 28, 2024
Clark is no stranger to USA Basketball. The 6-foot senior has earned three gold medals with USA Basketball junior national teams, most recently with the 2021 USA Women’s U19 National Team.
Nine former Olympians will be taking part in the Cleveland camp. That group features five-time gold medalist Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury; Brittney Griner of the Mercury; Ariel Atkins of the Washington Mystics; Chelsea Gray, A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces; Jewell Loyd of the Seattle Storm; Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty.
Each of the past two No. 1 overall picks, Aliyah Boston of the Indiana Fever and Rhyme Howard of the Atlanta Dream, are also among those that have earned Olympic camp invites.
No dates have been announced for when the women’s U.S. Olympic 5-on-5 and 3×3 teams will be named for the Paris Games, which are July 26 to August 11. The Americans are seeking their eighth consecutive 5-on-5 gold medal, and they won the inaugural 3×3 Olympic tournament at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
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