The hope from any sports setback is that it can help light a fire for future successes. That’s especially true for young stars.
Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark recently found out that she wouldn’t be a part of the 12-player Team USA Olympic women’s basketball roster for the 2024 Paris Games.
While some fans and analysts viewed it as a missed opportunity for Team USA, Clark took the high road, saying there’s no disappointment and that she will be rooting for the Americans and can’t wait to watch.
Meeting with reporters on Sunday, Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides shared her reaction to the news.
“Yeah, you know, a little disappointed of course. You know, she’s my player. That’s the hardest team in the world to make, right. That is a tough team. She’s young. She’s going to have so many opportunities in the future,” Sides said.
Time is certainly on Clark’s side. In the meantime, maybe Clark can put the perceived snub to good use.
“Yeah, we talked actually on the bus. She got the call on the bus and she texted me to let me know, and I just tried to keep her spirits up. I mean, the thing she said was, ‘Hey coach, they woke a monster.’ Which I thought was awesome,” Sides said.
Christie Sides on Caitlin Clark not making the Olympic team:
Clark told Sides “hey coach, they woke a monster” when telling her she didn’t make it. pic.twitter.com/02UwvuEiVj
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) June 9, 2024
That should fire up Clark and Fever fans. In her most recent outing, Clark erupted for a career-high 30 points and matched the WNBA rookie record for made 3-pointers in a single game with seven. This bit of news might just help Clark funnel some motivation into more of those types of outings.
One of the other prevailing thoughts is that Clark needed a break anyways. Dating back to the Crossover at Kinnick in mid-October, Clark really hasn’t had a break from basketball.
She and the Hawkeyes’ sprint to the national championship game meant there wasn’t much time off between the title game and the start of WNBA training camp.
“Yeah, I think that is the silver lining. She is going to get some rest,” Sides said.
Clark and the Fever return to action on Monday night at the Connecticut Sun at 6 p.m. on NBA TV.
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