Everyone seems to have an opinion on Caitlin Clark being snubbed from Team USA. And those opinions have often been quite passionate whether they agree with the decision or not. Dan Patrick recently shared his opinion on the matter. He expressed the belief that if any player should be upset about being snubbed it is Dallas Wings star Arike Ogunbowale.
“I don't think Caitlin Clark is one of the 12 best players right now,” Patrick said, via the Dan Patrick Show. “If you want to have popularity, she's number one and it's not even close… If you want to have Caitlin Clark on the roster, who are you taking off? And how do you tell that person ‘hey we want to have the popular girl on'?”
Patrick later wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that if anyone has a “gripe” about being left off the roster it is Ogunbowale, something he echoed during the show.
“Arike Ogunbowale should be on that team,” Patrick said. “If you're gonna take somebody off or somebody can't play. She's had an unbelievable year, she's earned it. Four-time All-Star. She's 27, might be her only opportunity.”
Wings head coach Latricia Trammell addressed Ogunbowale's snub on Sunday.
“I don't like it,” Trammell said of Ogunbowale being snubbed from the roster. “But I am very proud of the players that did make it. I know that they will represent our country extremely well. But you always talk about Arike, needs to be in the MVP talks… I was disappointed that I did not see her name because I think she deserves it. I'm not taking away from the players that did make it…. I was disappointed that she was left off.”
Arike Ogunbowale must be next up for Team USA roster
Caitlin Clark has received plenty of recognition. Her immense popularity cannot be denied. In fact, she is one of the most popular athletes in all of sports right now.
Ogunbowale has a proven WNBA track record and she's having an incredible 2024 season. Yet, according to Shams Charania, Ogunbowale is not even listed as one of the top alternates, per FanDuel's Run It Back.
“I'm told Caitlin Clark and Brionna Jones of Connecticut are atop the alternate list for Team USA if there is needed to be a replacement,” Charania said.
Ogunbowale has been underrated for a while now. Nevertheless, she is emerging as not just an All-Star, but one of the best all-around players in the WNBA in 2024.
The 27-year-old is currently averaging 26.4 points, 5.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.2 steals per game. The Wings have dealt with injury trouble to begin the season but Ogunbowale has led the team nonetheless.
Caitlin Clark's bright future
Clark deserves most of the credit she has received. Her impact on the popularity of women's basketball is truly incredible. From a popularity standpoint, adding Clark to the Team USA roster may make sense.
When it comes purely to playing the sport of basketball, though, Clark is not one of the best 12 players in the league, which is something Patrick mentioned. And that should not be taken as criticism. Clark is probably going to have an excellent WNBA career.
This Team USA roster is supposed to include the top players. So that's where Arike Ogunbowale's argument can be made. She has played better than some of the players on the Team USA roster, so one has to wonder why she did not earn a selection.
In the end, Ogunbowale and Clark will likely use being snubbed from the roster as motivation moving forward.
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