03/07/26 10:57:00
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03/07 10:56 CST Caitlin Clark set for US national team debut after 8-month
injury layoff
Caitlin Clark set for US national team debut after 8-month injury layoff
By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Basketball Writer
Caitlin Clark is excited to make her U.S. national team debut next week when
the Americans play in the FIBA World Cup qualifier in Puerto Rico.
It will be Clark's first game play in about eight months since a multitude of
injuries derailed her WNBA season with the Indiana Fever in July.
"It'll probably take a me a second to knock a little bit of the rust off. I'll
probably be a little bit nervous, which I usually don't get nervous but that
probably comes from I haven't really played basketball in a while," Clark said
Saturday. "I'm sure after the first minute of running around on the court, I'll
be just fine. But more than anything, just really excited. I know how much work
and how much time I put in to make sure my body's as healthy as it can be and
to get back."
It's been quite a road back for Clark who played in 13 games last season. She
had groin injuries and then a bone bruise in her left ankle. She's been in the
gym getting ready, working with the Fever medical team and player developmental
staff over the last few months.
"I've always been a person that's going to just rely on my work. I feel like
it's certainly made me work harder," Clark said of the injuries. "But that's
also probably the part that kind of stunk about it, is I felt like I put in so
much time and so much energy going into last season, and then obviously, only
appeared in about 13 games."
Clark has fond memories of playing with younger USA Basketball teams. She
recalled being in Colorado Springs in her teens and going into a room filled
with jerseys of past American greats.
"My eyes were so wide, thought it was the coolest thing in the world of all,"
she said. "(To see) the senior national jerseys of great men's players and
women's players. It's a 15 or 16 year old's dream of doing that one day."
Clark knows this is just her first step with the national team. There was an
uproar when she didn't make the 2024 Paris Olympic team. She eyes playing on
the World Cup team next fall and then in Los Angeles on the 2028 Olympic squad.
"There's a lot to get to that point," she said. "Obviously that's my goal, the
World Cup before that. There's a lot for me to learn."
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
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