Team USA women’s basketball roster 2024: Caitlin Clark, Arike Ogunbowale among biggest snubs from Olympic team

The 2024 Olympics are set to start in slightly below two months in Paris. The ladies’s basketball match is bound to have loads of consideration on it when the groups arrive in Europe. Crew USA is as soon as once more the favourite, and the People shall be searching for an eighth consecutive gold medal. 

Contemplating the depth of expertise and the restricted spots, Crew USA’s Olympic squad is arguably the toughest basketball staff to make on this planet. Heading into the summer time, one of many largest questions was whether or not Caitlin Clark, the No. 1 total decide within the 2024 WNBA Draft, would make the lower. 

The reply is not any. Shortly after midnight on Saturday, Christine Brennan of USA Right this moment reported that Clark wouldn’t make the journey to Paris, and David Eickholt of 247Sports confirmed the information a short time later. On Saturday morning, The Athletic reported the total roster.

With a roster like that, it is exhausting to make many criticisms. 

You’ll be able to quibble with Taurasi nonetheless taking a spot at 41 years outdated, however she’s earned the appropriate to be there by means of her dedication to this system. Chelsea Grey’s inclusion is one other slight query mark contemplating she hasn’t performed a recreation in eight months resulting from a foot harm, however she’s the very best level guard on this planet. If she’s wholesome come July, she must be on the staff. If not, you’ll be able to all the time title an alternate. 

That being stated, there are a variety of gamers who could make a sound case that they deserved to be on the Olympic roster. Listed here are a number of the largest snubs for Crew USA:

Ariel Atkins — G, Mystics

Atkins isn’t the largest title, nor has she been taking part in her finest basketball this summer time. Nonetheless, she has been a current mainstay in this system, successful gold medals with Crew USA on the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and 2022 World Cup in Australia. She’s additionally probably the greatest perimeter defenders on this planet. The issue for Atkins is that the backcourt pool is extraordinarily deep and she or he’s off to a tricky begin this summer time. By 11 video games, she’s taking pictures a career-low 30.0% from behind the arc. 

Caitlin Clark — G, Fever

Clark was vying to be the fifth rookie ever to make the Olympic roster, becoming a member of Taurasi, Sylvia Fowles, Candace Parker and Stewart. She’s probably the most controversial exclusion — not less than on social media. Whereas she’s on tempo to be the fifth participant in WNBA historical past to common not less than 15 factors, 5 rebounds and 5 assists for a season, and is fourth within the league in assists and second in made 3s, she’s additionally been turnover susceptible and struggled at occasions to cope with the physicality. 

Plus, there are a variety of extra skilled guards forward of her within the pecking order. Moreover, in accordance with Brennan, a part of the explanation she did not make the lower is that USA Basketball veterans had “concern about how Clark’s tens of millions of followers would react to what would possible be restricted taking part in time on a stacked roster.” Regardless of the remaining reasoning, there isn’t any query Clark shall be a staple on the Olympic staff beginning in 2028. 

Skylar Diggins-Smith — G, Storm

For all her expertise, you’ll count on Diggins-Smith to have multiple Olympic gold medal, however she did not make her debut till Tokyo. That, it seems, could also be her lone look. The 33-year-old is likely one of the few lively gamers from that staff to not make the lower for Paris, and actually was not even included on the April coaching camp squad. Which will have extra to do along with her private state of affairs than something. She missed all of final season on maternity go away, and can possible benefit from the break along with her household. 

Dearica Hamby — F, Sparks

USA Basketball has a lot expertise to select from in this system that it is basically not possible for gamers who weren’t beforehand within the combine to drive their manner on to the staff with excellent play. If there was going to be one this cycle, it could have been Dearica Hamby. The veteran ahead has been immense for the Sparks, and is averaging career-highs throughout the board with 20.6 factors, 11.6 rebounds and three.5 assists per recreation on 54.9% taking pictures. 

Arike Ogunbowale — G, Wings

Ogunbowale has all the time been simply on the surface, trying in on the subject of Crew USA. She’s attended loads of coaching camps, performed in exhibition video games and took part within the 2020 Pre-Olympic Qualifying Event, however has by no means made the ultimate roster for the World Cup or Olympics. That did not change this yr, and she or he is arguably the largest snub of all. By the primary three weeks of the season, she’s second within the league in scoring at 26.6 factors per recreation, and is averaging career-highs with 5 assists and three.1 steals per recreation. 

Nneka Ogwumike — F, Storm

Followers could also be questioning why Ogwumike wasn’t within the combine regardless of her continued excellence, so it is value explaining her state of affairs even when she is not a real snub. After being left off the staff for the Tokyo Olympics in shock trend, Ogwumike (alongside along with her sister, Chiney, and veteran ahead Elizabeth Williams), utilized to play for Crew Nigeria as an alternative. FIBA denied the request, as did the Court docket of Arbitration for Sport. Given how that saga unfolded, its unlikely we’ll ever see Ogwumike in a USA jersey once more.