The U.S. Women’s basketball team continues to come under fire for omitting Caitlin Clark from the roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics and the selection committee chair for the team didn’t do herself any favors with her explanation for Clark’s omission.

“It would be irresponsible for us to talk about her in a way other than how she would impact the play of the team,” Jen Rizzotti said of Clark after the official announcement of the team Tuesday. “Because it wasn’t the purview of our committee to decide how many people would watch or how many people would root for the U.S. It was our purview to create the best team we could for [coach Cheryl Reeve].”

The “create the best team” comment particularly set off some fans, who questioned Diana Taurasi’s inclusion over Clark when Taurasi is 42 and Clark’s numbers are arguably better than Taurasi’s this season.

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Reach Jeremy Cluff at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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