Caitlin Clark is focused solely on the task at hand. Right now, that’s trying to top the Colorado Buffaloes for the second season in a row in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.
With a player of Clark’s stardom and caliber, though, great opportunities have a way of presenting themselves at all times.
Earlier this week, Ice Cube confirmed that he and the Big3 league had made Clark a $5 million offer to join the league.
“We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship. But I won’t deny what’s now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn’t we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3.
“The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men’s pro team, and she won the championship in her first year. Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes,” Ice Cube wrote on X.
Then, on Thursday, the news broke that Clark had earned an Olympic training camp invite from USA Basketball.
That’s certainly fantastic news all around. There is one catch for Clark and Iowa fans with the USA Basketball Olympic camp invite, though.
The Olympic training camp is slated for April 3-5. Clark and Iowa obviously hope they’re still playing in the NCAA Tournament and gearing up for the Final Four instead. The Final Four dates are April 5 for the national semifinals and April 7 for the national championship game.
Iowa (31-4, 15-3 Big Ten) battles Colorado (24-9, 11-7 Pac-12) inside MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y., on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on ABC.
As Iowa’s battle with the Buffs nears, Clark met with the media to discuss a variety of topics. Naturally, she was asked about the Big3 league offer and the USA Basketball Olympic camp opportunity.
“Yeah, to be honest, I found about the Big3 thing at the exact time you all did, and my main focus is just on playing basketball. I think that’s the biggest thing.
“Like you said, USA Basketball is my, that’s your dream. You always want to grow up and be on the Olympic team. But, lucky for me, I have the opportunity of possibly not doing that because I want to be at the Final Four playing basketball with my team,” Clark said.
If Iowa does unfortunately bow out of the NCAA Tournament in either the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight, Clark plans to attend the Olympic camp.
“But if not, that’s where I’ll be. People that are on that roster are people that I idolize and have idolized growing up. Just to be extended a camp invite is something you have to be proud of and celebrate and enjoy.
“But more than anything, my focus is on winning these two games, and that’s exactly how it should be. I honestly don’t talk about those things with really anybody. I have other people that deal with it, and they haven’t said a word to me about it. My main focus is on this team and helping us find a way to beat Colorado and hopefully win another one after that,” Clark said.
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