"Totally ABSURD & SICKENING": Caitlin Clark's 2024 Paris Olympics snub draws criticism from former college basketball coach

Despite Caitlin Clark being one of the best and most known women's basketball players over the last few years, she reportedly won't be part of the 2024 USA olympics/paris-olympics" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Olympic Team for the Paris Games. Her omission drew the ire of former college basketball coach and current ESPN analyst Dick Vitale.

"It is totally ABSURD & SICKENING THAT @CaitlinClark22 is not on the 2024 USA Olympic team," Vitale tweeted on Sunday.

While finalizing an Olympic roster is a tough decision, leaving Caitlin Clark off the team was a head-scratching decision for many people, considering her production in both the WNBA and college basketball.

During her senior season with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Clark finished with 31.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.5 blocks per game on 45.5/37.8/86.0 shooting splits. She was also doing well in the WNBA.

What does it mean that Caitlin Clark is not going to be on the Olympic roster?

Playing the WNBA season during the Olympics leaves a massive gap in the middle of the season. However, not being part of the Olympic team gives Caitlin Clark a chance to get a break as she was drafted only a couple of weeks after losing in the NCAA Tournament championship game.

The break will see Clark be away from the court for a month as the Indiana Fever's final game before the break is July 17 and they return on August 16. This break from intense game action could do well for her to hit the reset button.

However, there is precedent for Caitlin Clark to be part of the USA Olympic Team. In the 1992 Olympics, the USA's Dream Team consisted of NBA stars. However, the roster included the top collegiate player at the time in Duke Blue Devil Christian Laettner. The women's side of things more than 30 years later seemingly felt the roster needed to go in a different direction.

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