SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — With 90 seconds left in the first quarter of Team USA’s game against Senegal on Wednesday, Caitlin Clark launched the ball. After rattling all the way around the rim and popping up, it finally went through the hoop, giving Clark her first bucket of the night — and her first in eight months.
Clark made her debut for the senior national team in the United States’ 110-64 win in its first game of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers. Playing for the first time since July, Clark finished with 17 points on 4-of-5 shooting — all 3-pointers — and 12 assists in 19 minutes.
“I thought I was going to be anxious, but I was just excited,” Clark said. “I’ve been preparing for this for a really long time. … There’s nothing like getting to run around out there and having fun, especially with a group of people as talented as this. It came to me pretty quick, especially when I got that first 3 to roll around.”
In July, Clark was sidelined indefinitely with a right groin injury while playing with the Indiana Fever, and then a bone bruise on her left ankle prevented her from fully testing out the recovery of her groin. The Fever shut her down in September.
Clark did most of her rehab away from Indiana. She participated in Team USA’s camp in December and said she felt 100% but was unsure how quickly it would take for her to return to form once she started to play again.
Against Senegal on Wednesday, Clark said it took about four minutes, which was when she hit her first 3-pointer, to feel normal again. She made an impact on the game as soon as she checked in midway through the first quarter, quickly racking up three assists on three consecutive plays. The first was a bounce pass to Monique Billings, who cut down low for a lay-in through contact. The next was a chest pass to Kelsey Plum, who was waiting along the 3-point arc and ready for the catch-and-shoot. The third was another bounce pass to Billings in transition.
USA head coach Kara Lawson said she stressed to Clark the importance of her role as a facilitator.
“She brings this dynamic play to the offensive end,” Lawson said. “As much as she is a dynamic scorer, she’s one of the most dynamic playmakers in the world as well. So we talked about her utilizing all the talent [around her]. This is the most talented team she’s played on. … I thought she toggled between playmaking and scoring really well.”
Along with focusing on passing, Clark said she wanted to emphasize playing with pace, something she admitted caused her to “suck air” early on. But Clark said she felt she quickly got her wind back.
“I know that’s what I can bring to this team: the tempo and the pace,” she said.
Clark said her 19 minutes on the floor in her first game action in eight months were the right amount for her to ease back in.
“More than anything, it makes me happy that I’m super sweaty right now and I got to play basketball,” Clark said.
Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese also made their national team debuts Wednesday. Bueckers finished with nine points, four rebounds and three assists in 14 minutes, and Reese finished with six points and eight rebounds in 17 minutes. Reese also started the game.
Team USA will play four more games in the qualifiers, although the team has already punched its ticket to the World Cup, which will be held this September in Germany.
