Caitlin Clark last played a competitive basketball game on July 15 against the Connecticut Sun. The Indiana Fever star appeared in just 13 games in the 2025 season after suffering a groin injury and, later on, a bone bruise.
Fortunately, Clark was able to recover well and prepare for the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament.
Team USA selected the Fever guard to be part of its roster for the competition. Clark is now set to play alongside Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray, among other top WNBA players.
Clark, who has career averages of 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists, admitted that she's feeling a mix of nerves and excitement before the qualifiers. After all, she has not played competitively in nearly eight months.
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"I haven’t played basketball in 8 months either, so getting to do it at this level for my first time back, there's no better way get tossed out into the fire and figure it out," Clark stated.
As for her health status, the Fever sharpshooter said that she "felt really good through practice." She does expect it to be hard when she actually plays her first game, but she believes she's ready physically.
"I feel like I've put myself in the best possible shape I could be in at this point," Clark added, according to ESPN. "The first game is the hardest, but once you get in kind of a flow of things, you figure things out."
The FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament starts on Wednesday (March 11) and lasts until next Tuesday (March 17).
Clark and Team USA's first game will be against Senegal on Wednesday. Sure enough, it will be interesting to see how the Fever guard performs and whether or not she'll be as impactful as she was with Indiana.
After Senegal, Team USA faces Puerto Rico on Thursday, Italy on Saturday, New Zealand on Sunday and Spain next Tuesday.
With such a tight schedule, Clark's condition will certainly be tested.
