This summer, USA Basketball hopes to win eight gold medals at the Olympics. The first step toward that goal is the Olympic qualifying tournament, which takes place in Antwerp, Belgium, from February 8–11. The initial approximation of the squad that will defend the Americans’ gold title in Paris will be the 12-player roster for that competition.

The committee will have a very difficult time choosing that final roster from among the 18 players who have been invited to the national team camp in Brooklyn, New York, which is scheduled for February 2-4. The selection process will also be complicated by the fact that the final roster will likely include current college players, mostly Caitlin Clark, but USA Basketball veterans Paige Bueckers and Cameron Brink may also play a role. The players will turn pro at the end of the 2023–24 season.

In the end, the final roster will reveal the committee’s values, which may include experience and track record of success or youth and the future. In order for the younger players to continue the legacy and uphold the ethos, USA Basketball has often maintained a mix between old and young on the international squad. Because there are so many possibilities available to the committee, deciding whether or not to include Clark presents a special challenge.

Diana Taurasi, one of the eight Olympians from Tokyo in 2021 who is back in the national team pool, is on the other end of the spectrum from Clark. Taurasi wants to make history by being the first basketball player, male or female, to participate in six Olympics. In addition, she would become the third American woman to compete in six games in any sport and the oldest Olympian in basketball history. Taurasi is sure to make her way back to the lineup, if she stays healthy. The 41-year-old even took part in the collegiate barnstorming tour for USA Basketball in November, playing against Duke and Tennessee, which was probably optional for a player with her lineage.

The members of the Tokyo squad that are joining Taurasi are Ariel Atkins, Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart, and A’ja Wilson. With the exception of Griner, who has exceptional circumstances and is certain to play in red, white, and blue if she so desires, Atkins is the only returnee whose play has deteriorated since the last Olympiad. Nevertheless, given that she represented the USA in the 2022 FIBA World Cup, Atkins is expected to be given priority by the committee. But out of these eight players, hers is arguably the least certain status as an Olympian for 2024.

There are just four or possibly five seats left for fresh applicants, and there is a lot of competition. The World Cup roster also included Kahleah Copper, Betnijah Laney, Alyssa Thomas, Sabrina Ionescu, and Kelsey Plum. Despite having the lowest minutes per game in Australia, Ionescu, Plum, and Thomas have all been selected to the All-WNBA team in the last two seasons; the latter two even being in the top five for MVP vote. Plum’s experience with the three-on-three squad should also offer her an advantage when it comes to the committee. This takes us to Allisha Gray and Jackie Young, two other gold medalists who made their debut in the sport in 2021. Particularly Young, both players appear too talented to be off the squad, but that is always the case with thethe national team of America.

Not to mention Aliyah Boston, Rhyne Howard, and Arike Ogunbowale—three of the younger camp invites—all seven of those players would be deserving choices for the Olympics. All Boston has done is complete one of the most accomplished collegiate careers in recent memory, win numerous gold medals for the United States at the younger levels, be named the WNBA All-Star Game starter, and win rookie of the year. Honestly, Boston appears to be a lock to finish in the sixth frontcourt place, behind Collier, Wilson, Stewart, Griner, and Thomas. Up until the Olympics in 2028, Howard and Ogunbowale—both All-Stars who would lead any other national team in the world in scoring—are most likely on the outside looking in.

Then, there’s the youth question. The No. 1 picks in the 2004, 2008 and 2016 WNBA drafts made the Olympic teams as rookies (Nneka Ogwumike’s omission in 2012 was curious then, and her absence from subsequent Olympic rosters has made that snub even more ridiculous in hindsight), and a similarly loaded draft class is on deck to carry that tradition. The youngsters take their place at the end of the roster and then grow into the future leaders. Wilson has talked about learning from Taurasi and Sue Bird how to set the standard, which she put into practice along with Stewart at the last World Cup.

Although it would make sense for Clark to be the most recent ingénue to replace her as Team USA’s 12th player, there might not be enough room given that Taurasi, the 2004 No. 1 pick, is still going strong. Maybe the committee will find comfort in Boston’s representation of the younger generation in the backcourt against a group of older guards. It will be tough enough to choose between Atkins, Copper, Allisha Gray, Ionescu, Ogunbowale, Plum, and Young for what should be three positions without having to include Clark.

However, the effect of Caitlin Clark is real. How could USA Basketball pass up the opportunity to profit from one of the biggest stars in the game’s rabid popularity when the replacement is unlikely to see much playing time? The largest international showcase for women’s basketball is the Olympics. If the selection committee wishes to capitalize on the enthusiasm the sport is creating domestically, a player like Clark should be on that platform.

Whether Clark makes the cut or not, the national team will be full of superstars. And whichever lineup of these players is most effective in Paris, the United States will be overwhelming favorites. However, the precise makeup of this squad will show what the committee values most—be it the most recognizable names, the history of the national team, domestic success, or a balance of youngsters and veterans. Those are all the options that are available.