Team USA has named its replacement for Cameron Brink on its 3×3 women’s basketball team.
No, it’s not Caitlin Clark. It’s Brink’s Los Angeles Sparks teammate Dearica Hamby.
Team USA announced Monday that Hamby will replace Brink on the country’s 3×3 women’s basketball roster.
Let’s get more gold @dearicamarie 🤝
Dearica Hamby has been named to the 2024 🇺🇸 #3x3WNT for the Olympic Games in Paris! pic.twitter.com/yTUTsTlMT8
— USA Basketball 3×3 (@usab3x3) June 24, 2024
Why did Hamby get the nod for the spot on the Olympic team? It’s all about her fit with the roster and her previous experience playing in 3×3 games on the international level.
MORE: Why Angel Reese is a better fit for Olympic team than Caitlin Clark
Why is Dearica Hamby on USA 3×3 roster?
Dearica Hamby is joining Team USA’s 3×3 roster because of an injury to Cameron Brink. The Sparks rookie tore her ACL on Tuesday against the Suns, and that injury will keep her out of the 2024 Olympics as a result.
Team USA needed to add another forward to its roster, as it needed more size to go along with Cierra Burdick. None of the replacement options were quite as tall as Brink (6-4), but Hamby (6-3) is close, and she’s averaging a double-double this season. That’s why SN’s Emily Dozier believed calling upon the 30-year-old veteran to replace the rookie seemed like the logical move.
Hamby first played on Team USA’s 3×3 team in December 2023. She helped them win gold at the AmeriCup, so she has the experience needed to help the squad medal in Paris.
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Why didn’t Team USA choose Caitlin Clark?
Team USA didn’t choose Caitlin Clark for the 3×3 team for a simple reason. They couldn’t.
Clark wasn’t eligible to compete for the United States 3×3 basketball team. Why? She had never participated in any 3×3 basketball event as a part of her country. That prevented her from earning the points needed to be considered a top 50 player in her country — or even earn the minimum number of ranking points needed to draw consideration.
Even if Clark had these ranking points at her disposal, it’s unlikely she would have been chosen to replace Brink. Team USA needed size after the No. 2 pick’s injury, so making a like-for-like swap with Hemby made sense for the roster construction.
Perhaps a greater discussion could be had about Clark replacing a guard like Hailey Van Lith if the former Iowa star had played in 3×3 events.
Still, the fact is that Clark didn’t. As such, arguing whether she should be on the 3×3 roster is moot; she won’t be, and that’s final.
MORE: Why Caitlin Clark isn’t eligible for Olympic 3×3 basketball, explained
USA Olympic 3×3 women’s basketball roster
Hamby will provide needed size for Team USA after it lost the 6-4 Brink just a month ahead of the Summer Games. Hemby is averaging 17.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in her breakout, age-30 season. She is also shooting 50.9 percent from the floor, the 10th-best mark league-wide.
Hamby joins a roster that has plenty of talent. Hailey Van Lith and Cierra Burdick were a part of the USA women’s 3×3 team that won gold at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Austria. Meanwhile, Rhyne Howard is a two-time WNBA All-Star and former WNBA Rookie of the Year who should provide a combination of quality size, driving ability and defensive presence to the floor.
Below is a full look at the four-woman roster for the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics:
| Player | Height | Position | Team |
| Cierra Burdick | 6-2 | F | Valencia Basket Club (Spain) |
| Dearica Hamby | 6-3 | F | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Rhyne Howard | 6-2 | G | Atlanta Dream |
| Hailey Van Lith | 5-7 | G | TCU |
Head coach: Jennifer Rizzotti (Connecticut Sun president)
Assistant coach: Tammi Reiss (University of Rhode Island coach)
