Among the star-studded roster that led Team USA to a 5-0 record during the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament were Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese.
Clark was named MVP of the tournament after averaging 11.6 points and a tournament-best 6.4 assists, while Reese averaged 6.9 points and a tournament-high 8.0 rebounds per game. As the two longtime rivals continue to establish themselves as the faces of women's sports, an unexpected development occurred on Tuesday.
Team USA announced its training camp rosters for April, and neither Clark nor Reese was included. While some suspected that they were locks for the roster after their showings in the qualifying tournament, players who are more proven, such as four-time MVP A'ja Wilson, five-time WNBA All-Star Napheesa Collier and WNBA Champion Sabriona Ionescu were all featured.
This, of course, led to even further confusion, which was eventually cleared up by WNBA insider Meghan Hall of USA TODAY. When asked where Clark was, Hall explained that these rosters are not set in stone and often see players rotate in and out.
"Not on this roster/camp, which is normal," Hall wrote. "Players will rotate through camps so staff can evaluate."
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The Team USA release also confirmed that just three players from the World Cup Qualifying Tournament will be a part of the initial training camp roster.
"Monique Billings, Paige Bueckers and Rae Burrell return from the squad that went 5-0 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying earlier this month," read the release."
Not being able to participate in training camps while she was at Iowa was ultimately a reason that led to Clark being left off the 2024 Paris Olympic roster. However, it appears that things are different this time around, and there is no need to overreact to her or Reese's absence from the initial training camp list.
