With Team USA preparing for the FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin, media personality Rachel DeMita believes Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark might not be in the starting lineup.
Highlighting previous qualifying rotations and veteran hierarchy, DeMita warned that benching their biggest star will inevitably spark massive public outcry.
Rachel DeMita Explains Potential World Cup Role for Caitlin Clark
Former college hooper and Courtside Club host DeMita is sounding the alarm on potential lineup drama for Team USA at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin.
Despite Clark entering the tournament as the most popular player in women’s basketball and the undisputed face of the league, DeMita casts significant doubt on whether head coach Kara Lawson will name the Fever star to the starting five.
DeMita pointed to Team USA’s qualifying tournament earlier this year in San Juan as a clear precedent for how the coaching staff might manage the roster.
Across those games, Lawson, and later assistant Nate Tibbetts, rotated the starting lineup for nearly every single matchup. Notably, Clark was the last player on the 12-woman squad to enter the starting lineup, getting her single start against New Zealand before returning to the bench against Spain.
“I think there’s going to be a lot of noise if and when she doesn’t start, but I’m not sure she’s going to start,” DeMita explained. “I just don’t know how they’re going to play it… If they’re going to let seniority start… players who have kind of been here before, even if they’re not technically better players than the ones that are on the bench.”
I wouldn’t expect Caitlin Clark to start for Team USA pic.twitter.com/F0zlX7G1dX
— Courtside Club (@CourtsideClub_) September 1, 2026
DeMita argued that if USA Basketball leans into the veteran hierarchy, experienced stars like Chelsea Gray, Kahleah Copper, Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart, and Aliyah Boston could easily lock up the initial starting spots.
Furthermore, DeMita highlighted the philosophical differences between international basketball and traditional American systems.
In international basketball, coaches can be more willing to use star players in reserve roles to balance rotations and maximize their closing lineups.
In contrast, American sports culture typically expects the overall five best players to step onto the court for the opening tip.
“In other countries, they don’t necessarily think that the starting five is the best five players on the team. It’s not like they start the game with their five best,” DeMita noted.
“However, in American basketball, the five best players start. That’s just how it is with the American system, and so I think as Team USA, you should go by that,” she added.
With primary core veterans A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum ruled out for the tournament due to health reasons, the guard rotation and offensive load fall even heavier on Clark and fellow debutantes Paige Bueckers and Sonia Citron.
Team USA will begin its FIBA WC campaign against China on Sept. 4, before taking on Italy on Sept. 6 and the Czech Republic on Sept. 7. The four-time defending champions are expected to easily advance past the group stage and play in the knockouts.
