All eyes were on Caitlin Clark when she made her Team USA debut at the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament.
The Indiana Fever guard proved every bit of the hype was real. Clark repaid coach Kara Lawson's trust with a performance to remember. She averaged 11.6 points and a tournament-best 6.4 assists across five games.
With Clark running the offense, the Americans operated like a well-oiled machine. Team USA finished the tournament undefeated, going a perfect 5-0.
Clark deservingly walked away with tournament MVP honors. She credits the performance to Lawson's guidance, whose words gave her the freedom to thrive.
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Pundits were curious to see how Clark would perform alongside a stacked Team USA lineup.
Even Clark admitted she had nerves coming in, but coach Lawson made sure she was at ease. Before Clark's international debut against Senegal, Lawson delivered a message that stuck.
Clark revealed what the Duke women's coach told her before tip-off.
"Be you. Play fast, play uptempo that's what I wanna see," Clark said of Lawson's message. "But also my playmaking ability is what I can bring to this team in setting everybody up and get this team flowing and finding people in transition."
Clark played inspired basketball against Senegal. In just 19 minutes, she posted 17 points and 12 assists, shooting 4-of-5 from three and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line.
That performance set the tone for the rest of the tournament. The former Iowa Hawkeyes star only grew more dominant after earning a spot in the starting lineup.
Lawson eventually had to return to Duke, with interim coach Nate Tibbetts stepping in. The message Lawson delivered before that first tip-off, though, never left Clark.
