Caitlin Clark’s omission from the Olympic team prompted a reminder message from her former coach.
PARIS — Soon after Caitlin Clark discovered she had not been selected for the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team last month, she received a text from her high school coach.
Kristin Meyer sent the message to remind Clark of her reaction the last time she was told she wasn’t good enough.
In May 2018, as Clark was concluding her sophomore year of high school, she traveled to Colorado Springs for tryouts for the U.S. U-17 World Cup team. Given her previous role as a rotation player on the team that helped the U.S. qualify for the U-17 World Cup the year before, Clark anticipated she would make the team.
Back then, Clark wasn’t overwhelmed by autograph requests, social media followers, or endorsement deals, but hints of her current flashy style of play were already apparent. She was a slender player hitting long-range three-pointers, making daring passes through tight defenses, and dazzling defenders with behind-the-back dribbles during fast breaks.
Meyer recalls thinking that Clark “played well” during the tryouts, but the USA Basketball youth selection committee had many future college stars to choose from. Eight of the 12 players from the previous year’s U-16 team were selected again, and Clark was the top-ranked player among the four not chosen.
“She did break her pinkie early in the tryouts, but I don’t think that was the main factor,” Meyer told Yahoo Sports. “There were simply other players that the committee
While Haley Jones, Paige Bueckers, and Aliyah Boston prepared to lead the U.S. U-17 World Cup team to a gold medal in Belarus, Clark returned to her hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, to refine her skills. The sting of being cut and the realization that others were ahead of her motivated Clark to continuously seek improvement rather than relying solely on her natural talent.
“She always worked hard and loved being in the gym, but that summer, there was a new level of maturity in her,” Meyer said. “She had a focused, determined attitude in the gym. She was highly motivated to improve.”
Between the end of tryouts and the start of her junior season, Clark made significant progress. Meyer noted that every aspect of her game—her dribbling, decision-making, and shooting accuracy—sharpened considerably.felt performed better.”
Caitlin 1.0 might have attempted a risky no-look pass or taken a shot from 27 feet early in the shot clock without much consideration. Caitlin 2.0, on the other hand, learned to resist those temptations more frequently and became more efficient when she did make bold plays.
Caitlin 1.0 might have reacted by stomping away or throwing her hands up in frustration when a referee made a poor call or when a perfect pass was mishandled by an unsuspecting teammate. Caitlin 2.0 remained a passionate competitor but began to understand how her body language and demeanor influenced those around her.
By the end of her junior year at Dowling Catholic, Clark was one of the youngest players invited to try out for the U.S. team for the U-19 World Championships in Bangkok that summer. At just 17, Clark secured a spot on a star-studded roster featuring Rhyne Howard, Paige Bueckers, and Aliyah Boston.
Although Clark averaged a modest 14.7 minutes over seven games in Bangkok, coach Jeff Walz demonstrated his trust in her by calling on her to take crucial free throws in the final minute of the gold-medal game against Australia, when the U.S. was trailing by three. This opportunity came after Howard was temporarily sidelined due to an elbow to the nose from an Australian player.
Two years later, after averaging 26.6 points per game as a freshman at Iowa, Clark was a clear choice for the 2021 U.S. U-19 World Championship team. She led the U.S. to a perfect 7-0 record, averaged a team-high 14.3 points and 5.6 assists per game, and was named tournament MVP.
