Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides revealed the interaction between her and star rookie Caitlin Clark after she was omitted from the U.S. roster for the Paris Olympics this summer.
Although her popularity and play have greatly expanded the WNBA’s audience, Clark has yet to find her way into the pros after being selected by Indiana with the first overall pick in April.
While addressing the media Sunday afternoon, Sides recounted how Clark approached her with the news. She then praised the former Iowa Hawkeye for taking the unfortunate news to heart.
‘Of course I’m a little disappointed; she is my player,” Sides said when asked about Clark being cut. “That’s the hardest team in the world to make, right? That’s a tough team.’
‘She’s young. She will have so many opportunities in the future.”
Christie Sides revealed what Caitlin Clark said after being left out of the Olympic squad
‘We have talked [actually] on the bus,” Sides added when asked how she coached Clark out of the bad news. “She got a call on the bus and texted me to let me know.”
‘I just tried to keep her cheerful [up]Sides continued. “What she said was, ‘Coach, they woke up a monster,’ which I thought was great.”
After a stellar collegiate career at Iowa, Clark has done well but has struggled to find consistency since moving to the WNBA. The rookie is averaging 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists for the Fever.
However, the NCAA leading scorer has noticeably struggled against the upper echelon of teams in the league. Clark’s lowest scoring performances were a loss to the Las Vegas Aces (eight points in 29 minutes) and most recently against the New York Liberty (three points in 29 minutes), as Indiana is 1-8 in the regular season and 2- 1. in the commissioners cup.
Clark has broken her silence after being rejected from Team USA’s selection for the Olympics
Dave Portnoy (left) is furious that Clark (right) is not expected to go to the Olympics
The No. 1 overall pick is averaging 6.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists for the Fever
Nevertheless, Clark said she is excited and rooting for the team as they head to Paris.
“I’m excited for the girls that are on the team,” Clark said Sunday.
“I know this is the most competitive team in the world and I know it could have gone either way whether I was on the team or not.
“I’m excited for them, I’m going to cheer them on to win gold. I was a kid who grew up watching the Olympics, it will be fun to watch it.
‘Honestly not a disappointment. I guess it just gives you something to work for. It’s a dream, hopefully one day I can be there. I think it’s just a little more motivation. Remember that, and hopefully I can be there again in four years.”