The Women’s basketball attention will now shift to Puerto Rico, with five teams looking to get onto the big stage. Team USA has already qualified for the World Cup and will use the opportunity to train its young stars, like Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese, to sync up with the rest of the team and gain international-level experience before the World Cup games.
While there are multiple talented players on the roster, many eyes will be on the rookies, who shone in the WNBA Season and showed huge potential. Clark even praised her USA teammate ahead of the tournament and predicted a bright future for her.
Individually, though, the Fever star is feeling a bit nervous as she admitted the same in a recent interview.
Nervous Feeling For Caitlin Clark Ahead Of Team USA Debut
Following five years of continuous basketball, the Indiana Fever star played in just 13 games in 2025. Her long injury layoff affected the Fever’s season, but also impacted the player’s fitness. Now working tirelessly on the same, CC will take part in her first competitive game.
Speaking to reporters at USA Basketball camp in Miami, Clark admitted that returning after such a long absence may come with an unfamiliar feeling, as she said,
“I think it’ll probably take me a second to knock a little bit of the rust off. I’ll probably be a little bit nervous, which I usually don’t get nervous, but that probably comes from I haven’t really played basketball in a while.”
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Caitlin says she has “butterflies”
— correlation (@nosyone4) March 9, 2026
“There’s a level of I don’t wanna say nerves but excitement and joy. I haven’t played basketball in 8 months either so getting to do it at this level for my first time back there’s no better way get tossed out into the fire and figure it out.” pic.twitter.com/xxA3zDkkm9
She already played at the U-16 and U-19 levels for Team USA, winning three gold medals and an MVP award in her junior career. She will be aiming for a similar feat at the senior level as well.
Even though the player admits her nervousness, the big game player will be fine taking the court for the senior team, with the top players around her. Another reason for her nervousness could be the realization of the dream she wrote down as a kid.
Caitlin Clark Living Her Dream
At the end of the 2025 season, the Fever guard had already made her Team USA decision clear and was working towards it. After a season-ending injury, she had to work hard to get back on the court, fit, and regain her endurance. Her dedication to the same was commendable.
During the recent media availability, the player opened up about the reasons behind her obsession with Team USA.
“This is every kid’s dream – I think I wrote it down when I was in the third grade, so just excited about this opportunity. This is my first time on the senior national team, so that poses a different aspect. There is no better way than just getting tossed into the fire,” Clark said.
“I feel like I was just a young girl that was watching these senior national teams or watching the teams at the Olympics or the World Cup and, obviously, now being 24 and being able to put on this jersey,” the playmaker added.
The 2024 rookie will play her first senior game on March 11 against Senegal, with Italy, Spain, Puerto Rico, and New Zealand also in the qualifying group.