Caitlin Clark invited to play with US national team during training camp at Final Four in Cleveland

Caitlin Clark has been invited to participate in the USA Basketball national team training camp during the Final Four in Cleveland, contingent on Iowa’s season being over.

The NCAA’s Division I all-time scoring leader has earned three gold medals with USA Basketball junior teams, most recently as a member of the 2021 under-19 squad.

Clark, the likely No. 1 draft pick in the WNBA Draft on April 15 by the Indiana Fever, has been a ratings boon for college basketball. Nearly 5 million people watched the Hawkeyes second-round game against West Virginia on Saturday.

Five-time Olympic champion Diana Taurasi is one of nine former Olympians who will participate in the camp training camp from April 3-5. The others are Ariel Atkins, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young.

Former WNBA Rookie of the Year winners Aliyah Boston and Rhyne Howard also will participate, along with Sabrina Ionescu and Shakira Austin.

The U.S. went 3-0 last month in a FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgium. The Americans beat the host nation 81-79 on a last-second shot by Stewart. They went on to beat Nigeria and Senegal.

The Americans have won the gold in every Olympics since the 1996 Atlanta Games. They will face Belgium again in pool play at the Olympics. The Americans also will play Japan in a rematch from the gold-medal game of the Tokyo Olympics, as well as Germany.

The U.S. is expected to name its roster later this spring.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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