Renowned sportscaster Linda Cohn gave her honest reaction to Kara Lawson’s decision about Caitlin Clark’s role with Team USA.
Following the sweep of their group stage games at the ongoing FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, Cohn recently gave her opinion about Clark’s role on the team.
In a recent episode of her podcast, “The Linda Cohn Show,” the retired ESPN anchor spoke openly about Team USA head coach Lawson’s thinking behind not starting Clark.
“I still don’t understand why Chelsea Gray is starting at point guard over Caitlin Clark,” Cohn said. “I don’t understand. That’s what I like to say: help me to understand. And listen, this isn’t about disrespecting Chelsea Gray. My goodness, she is terrific.
“A two-time Olympic gold medalist, we know that. She’s a champion [and] she’s one of the most experienced players on this roster. But aren’t we trying to win the World Cup? And today, Chelsea Gray played a little, around 16 minutes, two points, one assist. Caitlin Clark, she played almost 22 minutes, nine points, seven assists.”
The 66-year-old also argued that Clark has had a massive impact on the national team’s performance on the court and that she changes the dynamic of their play.
“Go back to the opener against China: Clark comes off the bench, scored 14 points, had 11 assists, with not a single turnover,” the Hall of Fame sportscaster continued. “And what did Coach Kara Lawson say after that performance by Caitlin Clark? She said, ‘Caitlin was terrific coming off the bench.’ She said, Caitlin changed the tempo of the game. Changed the tempo.”
The 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year is currently averaging 8.0 points, a team-high 6.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds in three games so far in the tournament.
Clark has been a terrific spark off the bench, but Cohn thinks that if they want to go all the way and finish the tournament as champions, coach Lawson should insert the Indiana Fever guard into the starting five.
“You know, if you want to get to the semis and if you have a bigger goal in mind, make this move,” she demanded. “That’s what I would do. It’s time to change the starting lineup: leave four of them, take out Chelsea Gray, put in Caitlin Clark.”
On Wednesday, ahead of the matchup against Hungary, Lawson indicated that Clark will continue to come off the bench. Team USA will face Hungary in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 5:30 a.m. E.T.
