Caitlin Clark hasn’t been seen on the court since her 2025 season was cut short after just 13 games, but the wait finally ends on Friday as she is all set to make her long-anticipated return at Team USA women’s national team training camp. But ahead of her debut, even before she stepped on the court, the young star is already earning respect.
According to Geoff Magliocchetti on X, formerly known as Twitter, just hours before the first day of the camp kicks off at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, the managing director of the U.S. women’s national basketball team, Sue Bird, praised Clark’s maturity and engagement throughout her injury-shortened season.
“The first thing that came to mind, and this comes to the whole Indiana Fever, they did a great job engaging in their season…I thought what was most impressive was the way she stayed engaged…that speaks to her maturity,” she said.
Since Caitlin Clark played her last game on July 15, where she was averaging 16.5 points, 5 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game, her main priority has been to recover. But even while being sidelined, the 6-foot athlete actively engaged with her team by either joining her teammates for motivational talks or showing unwavering passion from the bench during the matchups. And while many assumed the team would crumble without their star player, the Fever reached the semifinals, where their loss to the Las Vegas Aces ultimately ended their run.
Bird on Caitlin Clark: “The first thing that came to mind, and this comes to the whole Indiana Fever, they did a great job engaging in their season…I thought what was most impressive was the way she stayed engaged…that speaks to her maturity.” (Swanson) #TeamUSA
— Geoff Magliocchetti (@GeoffJMags) December 11, 2025
Besides the WNBA, Clark has also been vocal about her dream to represent her country and has actively worked towards it in the off-season after being left off the 2024 Olympic team. So, for Clark and her fans, the timing couldn’t be better. As the Fever star has spent the past several months recovering and rehabbing, she gets the chance to fulfill her goals, while all fans want is to see her in action.
The All-Star point guard is one of 18 players set to participate, a group that blends established veterans with some of the most electrifying young talent in the sport. The full training camp roster includes:
- Lauren Betts
- Aliyah Boston
- Cameron Brink
- Paige Bueckers
- Veronica Burton
- Sonia Citron
- Caitlin Clark
- Kahleah Copper
- Chelsea Gray
- Brittney Griner
- Dearica Hamby
- Kiki Iriafen
- Rickea Jackson
- Brionna Jones
- Kelsey Plum
- Angel Reese
- JuJu Watkins
- Jackie Young
The team will be led by Kara Lawson, the 2025–28 USA Basketball head coach, who’s hosting the camp on her home floor. She’ll be joined by a staff that features some of the most respected names in the pro game, including Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White, Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase, and Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts.
With Clark finally all set to get back on the floor, the spotlight now shifts to how her return could revive one of the most promising young duos in women’s basketball.
Aliyah Boston, who carried Indiana through Clark’s injury stretch and re-established herself as an interior force in the league, now finds herself back alongside the guard who elevates her game the most. Their pick-and-roll rhythm, spacing, and playmaking connection transformed the Fever from a project into a problem last season. And as much as the fans are excited to see this duo back on court together, so is Clark.
Boston recently celebrated her 24th birthday, and using this opportunity to wish her teammate as well as express her excitement, Caitlin Clark took to her Instagram stories, where she shared two photos with Boston and captioned them with, “Excited to be back out there with w ya.”
With Clark healthy, Boston humming, and a coaching staff tailored for growth, Team USA suddenly feels less like a camp experiment and more like a preview of what the next era of American basketball could look like.