Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark led Team USA to its first win at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup on Friday.
Team USA opened its World Cup campaign with a 94-61 thrashing of China in Group D action.
Clark spearheaded the team’s offense off the bench, as she finished with a double-double of 14 points and 11 assists on 3-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc.
During her post-game interview, the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year was asked how she’s handling the enormous pressure to perform well in the tournament.
The 24-year-old responded defiantly, stating that she does not consider this a massive weight on her shoulders. Instead, Clark is enjoying the experience, taking a ton of pride in representing the country.
“This is such a privilege and honor to be here,” Clark said. “I don’t worry about all that. Like I’m just excited to go play basketball. I remain confident in what I can do.”
The 6-foot playmaker has also taken Team USA head coach Kara Lawson’s advice to heart.
“And that’s one of the first messages Coach Kara told our group when we first got together, when we got here,” Clark continued. “Be confident in your abilities, no matter how many minutes you get, whether you’re starting, whether you’re playing a lot of minutes, whether that’s from game to game. No matter what, you gotta remain the same player and bring what you can bring to this team.”
The three-time WNBA All-Star added that their ultimate goal is not to impress individually but to ensure they’re all on the same page.
“At the end of the day, we have one goal, and that’s to win gold, and you’re gonna do whatever you can to help the team,” Clark said. “So that’s always what I try to remind myself of, but I don’t look at the pressure as a negative. I think that’s a really cool thing, and I just try to enjoy it as much as I can.”
Clark and Team USA are looking to sweep their two remaining group-stage games, as they are set to face Italy on Sunday and the Czech Republic on Monday.
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