Yay or nay? Caitlin Clark not getting into the final Team USA roster for the Paris Summer Olympics had many reactions. From the team’s head coach, Cheryl Reeve, to the Selection Committee, everyone faced the wrath of the rookie’s loyalists. Not long ago, Dawn Staley, head coach of South Carolina and a member of the USWNT Selection Committee, even dropped Clark’s name from the ROTY race. But now, the Hall of Famer coach has showered praise on the former Hawkeye that might bring solace to the fans and the player herself.

On Sunday, Dawn Staley sat down with NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico to talk about Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub. According to her, “Caitlin is just a rookie in the WNBA, wasn’t playing bad, but wasn’t playing like she’s playing now. If we had to do it all over again, the way that she’s playing, she would be in really high consideration of making the team. She is playing head and shoulders above a lot of people.”

Lauding the sensational Indiana Fever star further, she added, “Shooting the ball extremely well, I mean she is an elite passer. She’s just got a great basketball IQ. She’s a little more seasoned in the pro game in a couple of months than she was two months ago.”

Certainly, Caitlin Clark has played much more confidently in the last few games than she did in the opening week. She was Rookie of the Month in May and averaged 17.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 5.1 boards per game. However, it was not enough to get her to the Team USA roster, which was announced on June 11.

After the snub, she brought out the “monster” and averaged 17.9 points and 10.4 assists in the following 13 games. Consequently, just before closing the WNBA season to the Olympic break, she again swept away the Rookie of the Month. But again, this was not the only time that Dawn Staley had a judgment on Caitlin Clark.

Dawn Staley’s changing colors for Caitlin Clark

Earlier this month, the Gamecocks head coach didn’t believe the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer had been the best in her class. After Angel Reese grabbed the Player of the Month for June, Staley gave her vote of confidence to the LSU alumna. Giving the ROTY award to the Chicago Sky rookie, the coach mentioned, “At this time — today — it’s Angel. Without a doubt.” However, the 4x Olympic gold medalist also warned the league that the Caitlin Clark we all knew was coming.

Indeed, Caitlin Clark has taken her throne back. In Indiana Fever’s last game with the Dallas Wings, the 22-year-old guard set a new WNBA record for most assists in a game. She dished out 19 assists in a loss to Arike Ogunbowale’s team. In the All-Star game that followed, the Des Moines native again broke the all-time rookie record for the event with 10 assists.

The Rookie of the Year race is indeed going very neck-to-neck. Nonetheless, it seems like Dawn Staley of all has finally given all the Caitlin Clark loyalists a positive reason to look forward to the next Olympics where she can most definitely be representing the country.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.