Everything Caitlin Clark said on the USA Basketball Training Camp Zoom

The USA Basketball Women’s National Team opened their three-day training camp on Friday at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Of those invited to participate, former Hawkeye and current Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is one of ten to make their senior national team camp debuts.

After practice on Friday, Clark met with the media on zoom to answer a few questions…

Q: You said there was no disappointment when you weren’t selected for the 2024 Paris Olympics because it gave you something to work toward. Reflecting back on the past year and a half, making your first senior camp. What does this moment mean for you?

CAITLIN: I think anytime you can do a USA Basketball related camp, or in my past, it’s all been junior national teams. I’ve been cut from some of those, and I’ve played for three of them, so I’ve experienced both sides. This is the biggest honor you can possibly have, playing basketball for our country and wearing USA across your chest, so I’m excited and honored to be here.

It’s kind of the start of a new Olympic cycle, quite a few different things before we get to that point, but just excited to be here and be surrounded by a lot of really great players. Some players that haven’t played in an Olympics before, and then others that have a medal or multiple medals. It’s a fun group to be around.

Q: You told us after practice today that you were a little bit nervous going in just because you hadn’t played in a while. Was there a moment where you got over that?

CAITLIN: I feel like when I touched the basketball to start warming up before practice even started. That’s when I felt pretty comfortable. I’ve worked so hard. I haven’t taken a break since the beginning of the WNBA season, just with all of my rehab and getting back to where I want to be and getting even better. That’s been my focus, and this has been my next thing that I’ve been working towards since our season ended.

Just really thankful for the training staff, player development and everybody that has been there with me. They haven’t taken a break either. They invest a lot of time, and they want me to be successful. For myself, it’s not proving it yourself again, but it’s just that feeling. It just made me smile quite a bit. I could feel myself out there just continuing to get my lungs back, but I felt like I was moving really well, so that was pretty satisfying.

Q: This training camp has a lot of younger players, what can you say about all of you being able to come together and signify this start of a new Olympic cycle?

CAITLIN: A lot of us have familiarity, whether we were playing on junior national teams together, or whether we played against each other in college, or playing versus each other in the WNBA. Some of us are teammate as well, so we know each other pretty well. I think it speaks to the way USA Basketball does such a great job at the junior national team level of getting you involved in the program and understanding what USA Basketball is about. You understand how big of an honor it is to be able to do this, even if you’re lucky enough to do it just once, that’s incredibly cool to represent your country.

Being able to have that and then come into this national team camp together, it’s a thing of comfort, but we’re all very competitive, and you want to be surrounded by the best at the same time.

Q: You had a stretch of seven years at Dowling, Iowa and with the Fever where you didn’t miss a game. Having gone through that stretch of being off the court and not playing, did you learn anything new about yourself or the game?

CAITLIN: I put together a pretty incredible stretch of never missing a game and the fact is, when you’re a professional athlete, it’s going to come at some point. That’s just how it goes. It honestly taught me more than I’ve probably ever learned through the course of my career, how to take care of your body, how to get it right, how to stay healthy, and then just taking time for yourself.

Being hurt is an incredibly isolating thing, and you don’t really understand it until you go through it, and I think the challenge for myself was that it was one injury, and then I was a little better and then it continued to compound and got worse. Other things pop up, and then I had the ankle injury, so it feels nice to finally be back to 100%.

In a way, at the end of the WNBA season, I did everything I could to try to be able to come back and play for my team, but it just didn’t really work. I think that was almost a way of relief for myself, knowing that I gave everything I could to possibly try to play, but my body just wasn’t letting me. I continued to rehab and honestly it probably took longer than I expected, but now I know by body is in a really good spot.

More than anything, it just teaches you how to be a really great teammate, a really good leader and understanding what your teammates go through. I’m going to have teammates that have been through injuries, that are going to continue to go through injuries and leaning on them and being there for them. If I have a teammate hurt, going forward, I’m always going to be the one that texts them and checks on them. Just pouring into your teammates, you can do that whether you play, or you don’t play and that was my main focus.

Q: There have been broad changes in the professional women’s basketball landscape lately. Have you been approached by the Project B League at all? Do you have any plans to take part in it? What do you think of it?

CAITLIN: I plan to play in the WNBA. Obviously, that’s another thing that we need to get done, so that we have a season coming up here. I think, more than anything, it showcases what people think of women’s basketball. All of these different opportunities, all these different leagues, the platform that they want to give women’s basketball and where they think women’s basketball is going to continue to grow.

That’s probably the biggest thing that pops into my mind is that people are really believing and putting their money where their mouth is, and that hasn’t always been the case for women’s basketball no matter how great it’s been over the course of the last 25-30 years. For myself, that’s what I’m most proud of, is just how excited people are to really invest and support women’s basketball.

Q: What have your experiences with Coach Kara Lawson been like? What stands out about her as a coach?

CAITLIN: Coach Kara as well as anyone else what USA Basketball is all about. She’s been a part of a lot of different Olympic teams, whether it’s three-on-three stuff, whether it’s as an assistant coach for the last gold medal. It’s just the energy she brings, and I think that impacts every single person in the gym. That’s a really powerful thing as a coach.

This is really my first time around Coach Kara. I don’t have a prior relationship with her, so it’s been good to get to know her over the course of those first few days, but for myself, it’s the energy and the competitive spirit that she brings as a coach. That really impacts players and what they want to bring on the court as well.

Q: Wanted to ask about your longtime bond with fellow number 22 Cameron Brink and teaming up with her again? Also, do you feel you are the best golfer in the WNBA?

CAITLIN: It’s great to see Cam (Brink). Last time I played USA Basketball, or maybe two times ago, she was actually my roommate. So, I’ve known her for quite some time now and throughout college, continued to build our relationship and even now professionally. It’s always good to see people that you’ve known for five plus years and even longer now. It was the U16 team and I think I was 15, so it’s almost been nine years now, which is pretty incredible, the course of this journey.

Then golfing wise, I’m not really quite sure who’s all big into golfing in the WNBA. I’d love to get out there and play with some different players, but I put the golf clubs away for now. I’m truly focused on basketball. It makes my body a little bit sore, so I’d rather stick to basketball, but I love it, and it’s always great to be outside. The weather in not too hot in Indianapolis or Iowa at the moment for me to golfing at all. That helps too.

USA Basketball Women’s National Team Training Camp Roster

– 2024 Olympic gold medalists Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young.

– Dearica Hamby won a 3×3 bronze medal at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.  

– Brionna Jones is a 2022 FIBA World Cup champion.

– Aliyah Boston was on the 2024 Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament Roster.

– Ten players will make their senior national team camp debuts including Lauren Betts, Cameron Brink, Paige Bueckers, Veronica Burton, Sonia Citron, Caitlin Clark, Kiki Iriafen, Rickea Jackson, Angel Reese and JuJu Watkins.