Following the addition of Sue Bird as the first-ever Managing Director of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team, Team USA is ready to experiment with the talent available. For the qualifier games, Team USA opted for younger players who will get experience and understanding of senior-level international basketball. The young team delivered a flawless performance with Caitlin Clark winning the highest individual honor at the competition.
Now, USA Basketball has scheduled a third training camp in April in Phoenix and released the list of players attending. Interestingly, the Fever guard’s name is not mentioned on the list, leaving many fans wondering why.
Reasons For Caitlin Clark’s Exclusion From Team USA Practice Camp
In her first-ever senior national team competition, the former Iowa star led the side in scoring and also led the tournament in assists, highlighting her peak form with Team USA. While much of it was expected from a player of her quality playing alongside the top talent around the world, her exclusion from Team USA training camp certainly raised concerns.
However, USA Today’s WNBA reporter, Meghan L. Hall, calmed down the nerves and called Clark’s omission from this week’s squad “normal and wrote, “Players will rotate through camps so staff can evaluate.”
Not on this roster/camp, which is normal. Players will rotate through camps so staff can evaluate.
— Meghan L. Hall (@ItsMeghanLHall) March 31, 2026
Although she mentioned only one reason, the addition of a few former camp members still raises doubts in fans’ minds. But as Hall mentioned, there are hardly any worrying signs about the decision.
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First and foremost, the reason for her exclusion would be a personal choice. Fans already saw Clark ditch other league approaches and prioritize her health for USA duty and the WNBA season during her exit interview. Another reason would be her performance, which highlights that the player is ready for senior-level action and already has a place in the team.
Sue Bird already praised Clark’s maturity and team engagement, making her an obvious choice for the national side. While the player is not in the April training camp, she has already warned her opponents in the league during her recent appearance on NBC’s pregame show.
Caitlin Clark Fires Warning For 2026 WNBA Season
In 2024, the rookie ended the Fever franchise’s seven-year wait for postseason action. Also in 2025, despite an injury, the star helped the team win the Commissioners Cup title with a historic victory over the Liberty side in the final conference game. And now the player is ready for an even bigger award.
Her absence definitely helped the opposition a lot in 2025; the player declared herself ready for the action. As she said, “More than anything, I really did feel like myself. I feel really healthy. A lot of people put in a lot of time to get me back here.”
Clark on playing in FIBA WC:
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) March 29, 2026
"More than anything, I really did feel like myself. I feel really healthy. A lot of people put in a lot of time to get back there. It's crazy to think it was 8 months. Just excited for the W season. I miss playing in front of fans in every city."
After staying away from the court for eight months, she played just five games for Team USA and is now focusing on the WNBA championship.