It was an intense weekend for the 17 WNBA players who made the trip to Durham, North Carolina, as part of the USA Women’s basketball team in hopes of representing the U.S. during the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Among those players, 10 made their senior debut in the training camp held at Duke University, including young All-Stars Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, and Sonia Citron.
Although several veterans were absent, the training camp was a crucial opportunity for newly appointed National Team head coach Kara Lawson and team managing director Sue Bird to evaluate the young talent they can count on in a few years. Bird is tasked with naming a team for the 2026 FIBA World Cup, where the USA will try to win their fifth straight World Cup gold medal.
Clark’s Confidence After US National Team Debut
Fans of Caitlin Clark were delighted, as the 2024 Rookie of the Year returned to play with intensity for the first time since July, when she suffered an injury that forced her to miss the rest of the season, limiting her to just 13 games with the Indiana Fever. Clark mentioned that she felt “100% physically” and also spoke about what it means to be part of the Senior Team after having competed and won gold medals with USA Basketball in junior competitions alongside teammates like Paige Bueckers and Cameron Brink, among others.
“When you’re at the U-16 team, I remember they always talk about the Senior National Team,” Clark said. “Obviously, that’s every young girl’s dream when you’re on those teams… They talk a lot about that team, and only one or two of us was ever probably going to be able to get a call-up to be on the team.”
Well, now Clark is there with many other young stars who playfully nicknamed themselves “Young & Turnt” and are ready to compete with the veterans for a spot on the National Team. The competition for Team USA has never been higher given the quality that exists today in the WNBA and even in College Basketball.
The Next Generation Challenges the Gold Standard
For Clark, this call-up must also feel excellent after she was notably left off the United States roster for the Paris Olympics, despite having an amazing rookie year and coming off two National Player of the Year seasons in the NCAA. Still, Clark is just 23 and has a bright future ahead of her, like the rest of the young participants in this weekend’s training camp.
For nearly three decades, the U.S. women’s national team has solidified its standing as the most dominant unit in basketball history, having secured eight straight Olympic gold medals since the 1996 Atlanta Games. The camp signals that the next generation is ready to uphold that gold standard.
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