This summer, the U.S. men’s basketball team will take the first step toward its eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Antwerp, Belgium, from February 8-11. The 12-player roster for the event will be the first in line for Team USA to defend its gold medal in Paris.
Based on the 18 players invited to participate in the national team training camp in Brooklyn, New York, from February 2 to 4, the committee faces a very challenging task in selecting the final roster, and the current college students may make The decision becomes more complicated. – Mainly Caitlin Clark, but USA Basketball veterans Paige Bueckers and Cameron Brink could also be involved – who will be available in 2023-24 Turn pro at the end.
The final list will ultimately state the committee’s values: youth and future or experience and proven success. USA Basketball generally balances young and old on international teams so that younger players can carry the torch and preserve the culture. Including — or not including — Clark presents a unique dilemma for the committee, as it faces a wealth of choices.
18 athletes will participate in the training camp with 🇺🇸 #USABWNT Preparation February 2-4 #FIBAOQT In 🇧🇪Antwerp.
— USA Basketball (@usbasketball) January 23, 2024
Opposite Clark is Diana Taurasi, one of eight Tokyo 2021 athletes who has returned to the national team. Taurasi is seeking to become the first male or female basketball player to compete in six Olympic Games. She will also become the oldest basketball Olympian ever and the third American woman in any sport to compete in six games. Assuming Taurasi is healthy, she is expected to return to the lineup. The 41-year-old even participated in the USA Basketball Academy Tour in November against Tennessee and Duke, which may not be mandatory for a player of her caliber.
Taurasi’s members include Ariel Atkins, Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson from the Tokyo team. Atkins is the only one of those returnees — other than Griner, who has extenuating circumstances and is the other one wearing red, white and blue, if she will — since Her performance has declined since the last Olympics, but considering she’s also competing during the 2022 FIBA World Cup, Atkins will likely be a priority for Team USA. However, her status as a 2024 Olympian may be the most tenuous of the eight.
As a result, there are only five (maybe even four) new blood spots left at most, and the competition is very fierce. Kahleah Copper, Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney, Kelsey Plum and Allie Alyssa Thomas is also a member of the World Cup squad. Ionescu has averaged the fewest minutes per game in Australia, but she, Thomas and Plum have all been named to the WNBA All-Pro team the past two seasons, with the latter two finishing in the top five in MVP voting. Plumb’s experience in three-on-three team events should also earn her a spot on the committee, which brings us to her first gold medal in the sport in 2021: Allisha Gray and Jackie Young. Both players seemed too good to be left off the roster, especially Young, but that’s always the case with the U.S. National Team.
All seven players are legitimate choices for the Olympics, and that doesn’t even include Aliyah Boston, Ryan Howard and Arik Ogunbowale – the three young players invited. All Boston did was put together one of the most decorated college careers in recent years and capture multiple gold medals for the U.S. Junior Team while earning Rookie of the Year honors and starting in the WNBA All-Star Game. . Frankly, Boston seems like another lock to fill the sixth frontcourt spot behind Wilson, Stewart, Griner, Thomas and Collier. Howard and Ogunbowale are both All-Stars who would be leading scorers on almost any other national team in the world, but they will likely be on the outside until the 2028 Olympics.
Then there is the issue of young people. The No. 1 picks in the 2004, 2008 and 2016 WNBA drafts made Olympic teams (Nneka Ogwumike’s absence in 2012 was odd at the time, and her absence from subsequent Olympic rosters makes that snub look even worse in hindsight) Even more ridiculous), and an equally loaded draft class is poised to carry on the tradition. Young people take their place at the end of the list and then grow into future leaders. Wilson talked about learning from Taurasi and Sue Bird about setting standards and putting them into practice with Stewart at the last World Cup.
It would make sense for Clark to become the latest ingénue to replace her as Team USA’s No. 12 player, but with Taurasi, the No. 1 pick in 2004, still playing, there may not be enough room. Perhaps the committee will take solace in Boston representing the current generation while a group of older guards compete in the backcourt. Without adding Clark to the mix, it would be difficult to make three choices between Atkins, Cooper, Alyssa Gray, Ionescu, Ogunbowale, Plum and Young. .
Then again, the Caitlin Clark effect is real. How could USA Basketball choose not to capitalize on the fervor of one of the biggest stars in the sport when neither of the people taking her place will play long minutes? The Olympics are the biggest showcase for women’s basketball anywhere in the world. If selection committees want to further the momentum the sport is generating domestically, players like Clark belong in that arena.
Whether or not Clark makes the cut, there will be plenty of superstars on the national team. Regardless of how these players perform in Paris, Team USA will be the favorite. However, the exact makeup of this list will reveal the committee’s priorities, whether it’s national team history, domestic success, youth/veteran balance or the most marketable names. All these possibilities are on the table.
(Photo by Caitlin Clark: Marc Piscotty/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
