‘Yelling At The Ref’: Kelsey Plum and Paige Bueckers Exploited Caitlin Clark’s Defense At Team USA Training, But She’s ‘Still Ramping Up Injury Wise’
The USA Women’s National Team held a three-day training camp in Durham, North Carolina, mixing all-star WNBA veterans like Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum, and Chelsea Gray with rising stars Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, Lauren Betts and Rickea Jackson. Paige Beuckers was also in the mix and her all-around skills stood out among the league’s finest talents.
Per usual, Team USA has a deep talent pool of women’s basketball players as the team has won every Olympics gold medal dating back to 1996. The three-day pow wow along Tobacco Road excited fans, especially because it gave many their first glimpse of CC going at full speed against competition.
The WNBA’s most popular player and 2024 Rookie of the Year hasn’t been seen on a basketball court at 100 percent since July 15, 2025 against the Connecticut Sun. Just 13 games into the season. Clark played the role of spectator and referee antagonizer for the rest of the season.
Reporters Say Caitlin Clark Was Hitting Step Back Threes, Still Beefing With Refs At Team USA Training
It’s good to see Clark is rounding into form. Reports out of that training camp says Clark was in peak form as far as barking at the referees are concerned.
On the No Offseason edition of ‘The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show,’ reporter Sabreena Merchant discussed what she saw in the long–awaited return of Caitlin at Team USA camp
“Caitlin starts guarding Kelsey and Kelsey keeps knocking her off the ball and Caitlin gets called for a foul and she starts yelling at the refs, she’s grabbing me,” Merchant said, describing the level of competitiveness.
Caitlin Clark Hasn’t Played In Competitive Pro Game Since July
“She’s suffered a lot of injuries in her sophomore season,” Merchant continued. “This is her first real 5-on-5 action since that (lower body) injury with the (Indiana) Fever and there was a combination of USA players vs USA players and USA players going against a scout team. She looked like Caitlin, the step back three was there, the passes were there. When she wasn’t playing with Aliyah Boston some of the big didn’t know what to do with her passes.”
Merchant express some surprise that Caitlin would be going this hard this early.
“FIBA is a lot more physical than other levels of basketball even the WNBA,” Merchant told the podcast. “So having to see Caitlin go at scout team players who are instructed to play at a FIBA level of physicality is interesting considering how long she’s been out and the fact that she’s still ramping up injury wise. She was just happy to be back…be part of the basketball process.”
That apparently includes being very vocal, but she definitely has some competition from the rambunctious Kelsey Plum in those regards. Plum is a veteran of USA Basketball, having won a 3×3 gold medal in 2020 and following that up as a member of the 2024 5×5 legendary Olympic team that ran the table, winning its ninth gold and eight straight.
Indy Reporter Describe Watching Caitlin Clark Try To Defend Kelsey Plum and Paige Bueckers As ‘Funny’ And ‘Telling’
Indy star reporter Annie Costabile got an up close look at Cailtin and offered her opinion, particularly when she went up against Kelsey Plum and Paige Beuckers.
Costabile said:
“That shot of hers that we’re all so familiar with is very much so there. Her speed is coming back. Her timing on passing was still effective. Defensively, anyone who watched Caitlin’s game knows that is an area where she needs to improve. Watching her go up against Kelsey was funny…and still knowing that she had this rust to shake off was a bit telling.”
Seeing her and Paige go against each other, don’t think it’s a matter of one versus the other, you’re watching and evaluating how these two players are going to work together one day.
Team USA Women’s Basketball Has Won Eight Straight Gold Medals Dating Back To 1996
This combination of players is being lauded as the most talented Team USA team yet. That will ultimately be decided in how thoroughly they obliterate other squads. The 1996 team that started this Olympic gold-medal winning streak that will be over 30 years running by the time the final team is selected to go to Los Angeles and snatch another gold, was a Dream Team of talent in itself. And to tell you the truth, every season after.
Angel Reese. Caitlin Clark. Kelsey Plum. Paige Bueckers. The saga continues. All on the same team. Let’s see if these fan bases, who are used to going at each other’s throats, can call a peace treaty during FIBA play.