Caitlin Clark to make USA Basketball senior national team camp debut; Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese also invited
Clark has not suited up for game action since July due to a groin injury
By
Carter Bahns
•
2 min read
USA Basketball is set to hold its senior national team camp from Dec. 12-14, and Caitlin Clark is among the prominent stars who will make their debuts on the training camp roster. The Indiana Fever superstar is one of 10 players set to participate in the senior camp for the first time. Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese will also debut at the three-day event, which will take place on campus at Duke.
Cameron Brink, Sonia Citron, Veronica Burton, Kiki Iriafen and Rickea Jackson round out the WNBA players poised to play at the senior camp for the first time. From the college ranks, USC's JuJu Watkins and UCLA's Lauren Betts also picked up invitations. Watkins, who tore an ACL in last season's NCAA Tournament, will not partake in on-court activities but figures to benefit from the opportunity to work with and learn from the players and coaches in attendance.
Among those rounding out the camp roster are former Olympic team members Kelsey Plum, Brittney Griner, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Kahleah Copper. 3x3 Olympian Dearica Hamby earned an invitation, as well. Brionna Jones and Aliyah Boston will also return to the camp.
The training camp invitations give the 18 players an opportunity to shine in front of the USA Basketball administrators and coaches, who will construct a roster next year for the 2026 FIBA World Cup. First-time national team coach, and coach of Duke's women's basketball team, Kara Lawson will lead the camp while WNBA coaches Natalie Nakase (Valkyries), Nate Tibbetts (Mercury) and Stephanie White (Fever) assist.
Team USA already qualified for the World Cup by way of its 2025 Women's AmeriCup title, but the squad will still participate in a qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico next March. The 11-time champions will seek their fifth consecutive World Cup crown when competition begins next September in Germany.
Caitlin Clark injury status
Clark missed the second half of the 2025 WNBA season with a groin injury and played in just 13 games as she battled multiple ailments during the campaign. It was a down year by her superstar standards even when she was on the court, as she shot just 27.9% from 3-point range. Her scoring was also down from 19.2 points per game as a rookie to 16.5 in her second professional season.
With the Fever slowplaying Clark's return to action, she had still not progressed to playing 5-on-5 as recently as late October. Coach Stephanie White said the team will work Clark back up to full speed over the course of the offseason to prevent setbacks or regression in her recovery.
What that means for Clark's availability at USA Basketball camp remains to be seen. Her goal remains to suit up for Team USA in the World Cup qualifiers.
