U.S. Olympic women’s basketball coach Cheryl Reeve has set her X account to private and won’t discuss the decision to cut star WNBA rookie Kaitlyn Clark from the roster.
When it was officially announced last week that Clark was not on the 12-man roster, it sparked a heated debate among sports media, with some questioning whether a spot should have been made for her given her growing prominence in the WNBA and her rapid development at the professional level.
Reeve did not respond to emails from The Washington Post on Monday asking why he made the posts private or whether he wanted to comment on Clark’s exclusion.
Reeve said through an Olympic spokesman last week: He declined to comment when contacted by USA Today reporter Christine Brennan. On removing Clark from the roster.
It’s not clear when Reeve made his X account private, but it was made public shortly after the Olympic team was announced.
Committee chair Jen Rizzotti said popularity did not influence the decision.
“This is the basketball standard that’s been given to us as a committee. How do we evaluate players based on that?” Rizzotti told The Associated Press.“And then when you make the decision based on criteria, there were other players that were harder to make the cut because they met more criteria. And sometimes it comes down to position, Cheryl’s playing style and sometimes it comes down to voting.”
“It would be irresponsible to talk about her in any way other than how she impacts the team’s play, because it is not the prerogative of our committee to decide how many people will watch or how many people will cheer for the U.S. It is our prerogative to put together the best team we can for Cheryl.”
Reeve, 57, has been coach of the Minnesota Lynx since 2010 and has won four WNBA championships.
During the WNBA preseason, Reeve complained that Clark’s pro debut with the Fever was broadcast on the league’s app, while her team’s games were only available to ticket buyers.
When the WNBA promoted a Fever preseason game on its X account, Reeve sent out a sarcastic response.
“We have a game again tonight – @minnesotalynx vs @chicagosky. 7pm CST,” Reeve wrote last month.
“While fans are not allowed to attend the game, #Lynx fans can follow the live coverage on the Lynx app or come along to a game if you’re in the area. What a great start to the season. #12teams #theWismorethanoneplayer.”
The Olympic team members are Diana Taurasi, Napheesa Collier, Kaalia Copper, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewel Lloyd, Kelsey Plumb, Breanna Stewart, Alyssa Thomas, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young.
