Huskies in Paris!!

[UConnCat]

I love that 3 Huskies made the team.
I particularly love that Diana made the team. Diana is the leader and sets the tone. The fact that her presence makes so many fans of other teams unhappy kinda makes it more special.

BTW, I don't have strong feelings about Clark. I don't think she belongs on the Olympic team, although some think it's a marketing miss. Maybe it is but the decision's been made. What Clark should do now, to quiet the noise and out of respect for the players who did make the team, is make a statement of support for USA Basketball. She should say that she's not ready and not deserving to play for USA BB in this year's Olympics but that she intends to work hard and hopes to play in future Olympics. She'd upset a lot of her supporters but it would be the right thing to do. Will she?

 

[MSSportsGuy]

The Athletic Article: “That the committee decided to go this route isn’t a total surprise. It is a reflection of some past precedent. “That chemistry really speeds up the learning curve and the process,” committee member Seimone Augustus recently told The Athletic.”

In 2016 past participation was ignored by the committee in favor of three players who hadn’t participated in the Olympics before. Granted committee members change but still.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

She should say that she's not ready and not deserving to play for USA BB in this year's Olympics but that she intends to work hard and hopes to play in future Olympics. She'd upset a lot of her supporters but it would be the right thing to do. Will she?

The “right” thing would be to say she’s not ready and not deserving? The second part about working hard and hoping to play in future Olympics is a very gracious thing to say and perhaps her camp should do this but I’d never expect any competitor to come out and say they aren’t deserving of something.

 

[omshanti]

They need to figure out a way to get Clark on the team, they need to milk the current adoration. Imagine all the merchandise sales she'll generate.

I strongly (and sadly) believe that by the next Olympics, all this love for her and women's basketball would be significantly reduced; most of the casual fans who jumped on the bandwagon following her will realize that she's not a superwoman, and that there are other players that are better than her.

Hopefully many of them stick around and make WNBA profitable and enable many of these fine women to make a decent living.

The USA team selected for the Olympic Games does not need adoration. They are looking to win the gold medal, not win a popularity contest. CC is not physically ready for the (even more physical play in international competition) US team. The team will play as a team, not looking to boost anyone’s ego. So if the CC fans don’t adore this team… who cares. Let the casual fans go. If you love women’s basketball you will support the wnba. The women selected will represent well.

 

[JellyBean]

Congrats to all, especially our beloved UConn Husky players.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

The 12 selected must play as one hand in a glove!
They must be on the same wavelength at all times!
Egos shouldn't go into this team!

 

[UConnCat]

The “right” thing would be to say she’s not ready and not deserving? The second part about working hard and hoping to play in future Olympics is a very gracious thing to say and perhaps her camp should do this but I’d never expect any competitor to come out and say they aren’t deserving of something.

Really? Interesting. Stewie said she didn't deserve one of her Final Four MVPs. Gabby Williams became an all-american at UConn but said she didn't deserve to play in big games as a freshman because she wasn't ready. That didn't make them less competitive, just self-aware, realistic and honest.

 

[UConnCat]

In 2016 past participation was ignored by the committee in favor of three players who hadn’t participated in the Olympics before. Granted committee members change but still.

Past participation wasn't ignored. Nine of the 12 players played in the previous Olympics. Two players, Stewart and Griner, played for USA Basketball at the 2014 World Cup in Turkey. Griner made the World Cup All-Tournament team. Only Elena Delle Donne was new to USA Basketball in a premier international event.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Really? Interesting. Stewie said she didn't deserve one of her Final Four MVPs. Gabby Williams became an all-american at UConn but said she didn't deserve to play in big games as a freshman because she wasn't ready. That didn't make them less competitive, just self-aware, realistic and honest.

Point takent but to me there is a distinction between being differential to teammates in the context of their current team verses an athlete saying they don't deserve to even make a team.. We don't expect athletes who don't get drafted in a league or not make a team after being drafted to say they don't deserve it, or an athlete who didn't receive an offer to play for a particular program to say they didn't desrve it, so I'm not sure why there would be an expectation Clark should say she doesn't deserve it.

It's possible to be gracious and supportive and hopefully Clark will be. There will likely be other chances for her to make a team.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Past participation wasn't ignored. Nine of the 12 players played in the previous Olympics. Two players, Stewart and Griner, played for USA Basketball at the 2014 World Cup in Turkey. Griner made the World Cup All-Tournament team. Only Elena Delle Donne was new to USA Basketball in a premier international event.

My original post indicated there were three players who hadn't played in the Olympics prior to 2016. It didn't mention the World Cup or other international competition. Committees also change so it's possible the current one feels differently than 2016.

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

In 2016 past participation was ignored by the committee in favor of three players who hadn’t participated in the Olympics before. Granted committee members change but still.

It has been fairly obvious that due to the limited preparation time, historically the selection committees have valued existing instinctive chemistry among those who are currently performing well and satisfy a positional need:

Chelsea, Kelsey, Jackie, A’ja
DT, Kahleah, Britney
Sabrina, Breanna
Jewell [with Breanna]
Napheesa [with Breanna and coach Cheryl Reeve]
A. Thomas

Obviously, the selection committee thought the duo of Caitlyn and Aliyah is not yet worth 2 Olympic roster spots.

Let’s see ##:

• Lindsay, Seimone, Maya#, Sylvia,
• Sue#, Breanna#
• Diana#, Britney
• Tina # (Maya# and coach Geno)
• McCaughtry (2nd Olympics)
• Catchings (Fourth Olympics with Sue and Diana)
• Delle Donne (1st Olympics)

Delle Donne is the only unaffiliated player. She is the 5th post (assuming Maya is a G/W) and arguably the last roster spot.

# Coached in college by Geno.
## Swin, Ashja and Candace were replaced.

 

[Cuango]

They need to figure out a way to get Clark on the team, they need to milk the current adoration. Imagine all the merchandise sales she'll generate.

I strongly (and sadly) believe that by the next Olympics, all this love for her and women's basketball would be significantly reduced; most of the casual fans who jumped on the bandwagon following her will realize that she's not a superwoman, and that there are other players that are better than her.

Hopefully many of them stick around and make WNBA profitable and enable many of these fine women to make a decent living.

It’s hard to believe how many have dismissed Clark already! I would remind them that she went straight (basically) from the national championship game into the best league on the planet, a league that has defended her like no one I’ve ever seen defended, a league that has shown her more hate and jealousy than anyone I’ve seen, with physical play (OK) and cheap shots (not OK), and who is on the worst team in the league for two years running and who was given the toughest schedule in the entire league to start out the year with! I doubt it’s a coincidence that she had her best game ( admittedly against the other “worst” team ) after finally getting a four day break!

As Geno said, her fans, and others, put ludicrous expectations on her, expectations that have resulted in so many people already saying she can’t make it even as she sets record after record in spite of all the negativity. I predict all these people will be eating their words before it’s all over! I believe she is going to be a dominant player within two years! She needs to get a coach (I’m not an expert on basketball but this coach seems absolutely clueless) and teammates that have her back and who can learn to play with her (Boston, her fellow #1 draft pick seems to have regressed and is not playing well at all, many of her teammates either can’t seem to hold on to her passes or won’t pass her the ball) and eventually, (next offseason) she needs to bulk up and get in better shape as well.

As for the Olympics, while I think it’s stupid and shortsighted to leave her off the team, it’s probably best for Clark herself that she is not on the team, as she can get some rest and take care of her body for the second half of the season! It’s not as if we’re not a huuuuge favorite for the gold after all. We’re gonna win whether she plays or not, it’s just that the Olympic committee would make a lot more money with her on the team.

She will be a star if she can just get through this without getting injured or losing her desire to play. I’m not carrying water for Caitlin Clark but I do believe she’s gettng a raw deal in this league. Hopefully, all this antipathy will slowly go away and she will be able to succeed or fail on a level playing field! That’s what she, or anyone else, deserves!

 

[Cuango]

Not sure if it was the last time that Caitlin played for Team USA, but she was the backup PG behind someone named Paige.

Does Caitlin play too much like Arike to fit the Team USA mold? We’ll know in time.

Caitlin does a little something you rarely see from Arike. It’s called passing the ball to other players and making other players better!

 

[MilfordHusky]

I believe that 8 of the 12 U.S. players were #1 overall picks.

Diana
BG
Jewell
Stewie
A’ja
JY
Kelsey
Sabrina

 

[MilfordHusky]

 

[Skeets]

We sometimes discuss records that will never be broken. One such record is 6 Olympic basketball gold medals. Not only will it never, ever be broken, I doubt we will ever see it tied. I hope it happens and that DT has an Olympics that shuts her critics up.

 

[HuskyNan]

Caitlin Clark discussion belongs on the General Womens basketball board

 

[UConnCat]

The Birthday Girl. LOL

 

[UConnCat]

 

[UConnCat]

 

[UConnCat]

US opts for experience and versatility on Olympic women's basketball roster, passes on Caitlin Clark

USA Basketball says experience was a major reason Caitlin Clark was left off the U.S. Olympic roster that was officially announced Tuesday.

apnews.com

Diana is the leader. Jen on Diana:

Taurasi, who turned 42 on Tuesday, will break the record for most Olympics played in the sport of basketball. Five players, including former teammate Sue Bird, have competed in five.

“The thing that Diana does that I’ve never seen anyone else do is that she makes everybody around her confident and play their best,” Rizzotti said. ”Whether she’s scoring a point, whether she starts, whether she plays limited minutes, whether she’s just a voice in the locker room, she infuses people with a level of self-confidence that has been a factor in us winning,”

 

[FridaFriend]

I remember a world championship or Olympic event where the US team was having difficulty with a roster of great players who couldn't seem to coordinate and score, probably because they had only played together for a few days. I think Geno was the coach. He called timeout and Diana spoke up: "Look, let's forget all the complicated plays and just go out and do one simple play. We just keep doing the one thing until they prove they can stop us." Of course, the US team couldn't be stopped and this showed once again what a leader Diana was and is and why she belongs on the team.

 

[CL82]

I remember a world championship or Olympic event where the US team was having difficulty with a roster of great players who couldn't seem to coordinate and score, probably because they had only played together for a few days. I think Geno was the coach. He called timeout and Diana spoke up: "Look, let's forget all the complicated plays and just go out and do one simple play. We just keep doing the one thing until they prove they can stop us." Of course, the US team couldn't be stopped and this showed once again what a leader Diana was and is and why she belongs on the team.

I remember a similar story when Geno was first coaching the Olympic team and he was frustrated about players inability to read and react. Diana and Sue said "I remember a similar story when Geno was first coaching the Olympic team and he was frustrated about players inability to read and react. Diana and Sue said something like this isn't Connecticut. Just draw a play, give it a name and tell them to run it and they will. So that's what he did.

 

[MilfordHusky]

The Birthday Girl. LOL

Great answer!

 

[MilfordHusky]

We’ve discussed the 2012 Olympics a fair amount here. In the semi-finals, no one, including Candace Parker or a gimpy Sylvia Fowles, could stop Liz Cambage in the first half, as Australia took the lead. Geno made some defensive adjustments, including calling on Asjha Jones, for the second half. But the offensive energy and momentum came when Diana starting hitting 3-pointers. She infuses her team with confidence.