“She’ll never be able to live up to her full potential”. Among many, the former Fox Sports Radio host Jason Whitlock too did not believe in Caitlin Clark’s abilities. It was only magnified by the fact that Indiana Fever ran on a 1-7 record. Still, everyone saw how the first overall pick transformed herself and her team to bring combined success. Now, Dawn Staley’s latest comments on the USWNT selection and how they would highly consider the 22-year-old at this point, have made Whitlock and the fans come for her neck.

On Sunday, Dawn Staley revealed that Caitlin Clark’s current numbers could very well get her a spot on Team USA. In fact, she even praised the rookie, who now has a WNBA record with 19 assists in a game, for her high basketball IQ and passing abilities. Still, she mentioned that how the 2x NPOY was playing earlier was not enough to make a case for her.

Jason Whitlock of the Fearless later commented on Staley’s words. He tweeted, “The women’s Olympic basketball team was leaked on June 9. So, according to Dawn Staley, Caitlin Clark’s first 12 WNBA games decided her fate. Just admit y’all were petty and blew a huge opportunity. USA women’s team is irrelevant without CC.”

Backing it up can be Caitlin Clark’s stats in those early games when the Fever was running on one of the worst schedules. Moreover, they played the top teams in the league in the opening month. Then, the team had a 3-9 record. Still, the rookie did have a decent display. Resonating with Whitlock’s assessment, many basketball fans came up with their own views.

Basketball fans ditch Dawn Staley’s comments on Caitlin Clark

‘Polarizing’ just might be the word to describe the impact of the former Hawkeye. This time around, the fans have gone against the coach who called Caitlin Clark “One of the GOATs” after winning the 2024 National Championship. Since the USWNT selection committee member Staley mentioned how Clark was not playing well enough in the starting 12 games of the season, one fan brought out a table to disprove the Hall of Famer.

According to the stats, Caitlin Clark was giving much better averages than Diana Taurasi and Kelsey Plum. To add a twist of humor, or to further clarify their point, the fan also added an empty column for Chelsea Gray. The Aces “Point Gawd” was injured in the opening months. So far, she has only played 11 of 24 games for the 2x WNBA champions. According to them, it only showcased why the Fever rookie was a much better choice over Gray. They even added the fact that surely Caitlin Clark was not as amazing as she is now, she was still better than others.

Apart from her averages in the WNBA, Caitlin Clark exploded the NCAA basketball realm with her atomic performances. She was leading NCAA WBB in scoring and assists. Moreover, she ended her career with over 46 broken or created records. One of them was a 56-year-old all-time scoring record by Pistol Pete for the NCAA. Hence, many also believe that her collegiate accolades should have been enough to make a case for her. Moreover, before she even picked up the ball for Indiana, she became an attention magnet. She brought in many fans, leading to profits, for the WNBA. One fan gave a similar reasoning, making a case for the rookie.

Two things: (1) Clark’s college career alone justified her selection to the 2024 team. (2) Clark’s star-power alone DEMANDED her selection for the betterment of the sport She’s was left off by visceral pettiness, even from Dawn Staley.”

Many also believed that the Des Moines native was intentionally wronged. A Caitlin Clark fan expressed their frustration on how the USWNT selection committee would rather see the first overall pick play in the first 12 games in the league than see her work in the last 4 years in NCAA.

“Doesn’t seem that hard to extrapolate based on her last 4 seasons, nah, we’ll just weigh her first 12 wnba games 100%”

Another fan came with their observation of the case. They argued that Diana Taurasi (2004), Candace Parker (2008), and Breanna Stewart (2016) were all chosen for the Olympics as rookies. They did not even have to play in the league to prove their potential. However, we also know that all these legends of the game have won at least 2 National titles each. Something that Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes could not do despite an incredible run.

“Just a reminder, in the 3 Olympic years where the NCAA player of the year was a senior (Taurasi, Parker and Stewart) they were chosen to play on the Olympic team having played ZERO WNBA games.”

The Indiana Fever played 11 games in 20 days. Many defined this setup as the worst scheduling since 2017. Hence, the very time when Caitlin Clark had to adapt to WNBA’s physicality and rules, create chemistry with the team, and show her potential for Team USA, she was busy trying to go against the top teams of the league. She also mentioned how she had been playing non-stop since September 2023 when the NCAA tournaments started. Hence, a follower brought up all of this to express their exasperation.

“Petty, pathetic And the hatred started all the way back at schedule making time when they absolutely ruined her schedule. They set her up for this with an incredibly difficult schedule coming off of a tournament run. It’s completely intentional”

Seems like this debate about Caitlin Clark getting snubbed will not come to an end until she finally gets on the roster for the next Olympics. However, it also makes things clear on how loved she is. Still, the rookie has mentioned that she will be rooting for Team USA. We can only hope that they are successful in their run for the eighth consecutive gold medal.

Stay tuned for more such updates. 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.