INDIANAPOLIS — When the US women's basketball Olympic roster was leaked around 2 a.m. on Saturday, there was one glaring omission: Caitlin Clark.

It didn't matter what time the roster was revealed. People noticed the Fever rookie wasn't listed right away. While USA Basketball has not yet officially released the roster, Clark confirmed Sunday she got a call from representatives of the selection committee telling her she didn't make the team.

So, why didn't Caitlin Clark make the Olympic roster?

There are 11 criteria the USA Basketball selection committee uses to select its Olympic team every four years: United States citizenship, availability, position played, playing ability, versatility to play other positions, coachability, attitude, adaptability to team concept, leadership, adaptability to international game and likelihood of contributing to success of team.

Now, most of these criteria are very vague; they can be interpreted in multiple ways to fit one narrative or another. But ultimately, Clark didn't have the experience they were looking for. The international game is much more physical than even the WNBA, and that league physicality is still something Clark is getting used to.

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Yes, rookies have been on the Olympic team before: Rebecca Lobo in 1996, Diana Taurasi in 2004, Candace Parker in 2008 and Breanna Stewart in 2016. But the selection committee leaned toward experience this year: Sabrina Ionescu, in her fifth year with the New York Liberty, is the youngest player on the roster at 26.

There are seven listed guards on the Olympic roster: Taurasi, Jewell Loyd, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Ionescu. Nearly all of them are heavily experienced in international play: Taurasi is a five-time Olympic gold medalist, Loyd and Gray both won their first gold medals at the Tokyo Games, and Plum and Young both have Olympic experience in 3x3. Ionescu is the only guard that doesn't have Olympic experience. The team also includes Alyssa Thomas, a forward who can also work as a guard with an average of 8.6 assists per game. Thomas has 12 triple doubles in her career, which is far and away a WNBA record.

These players have also all had chances to work with each other in training camps and Olympic qualifying teams. Top players in the WNBA, including Fever center Aliyah Boston, worked together in a training camp in November with two exhibition games, then again in February at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Belgium. Both of those Clark couldn't attend, as she was playing with her Iowa team.

Clark was officially invited to the final national team training camp in the first week of April, but it conflicted with Final Four week. She was slated to attend if Iowa didn't make the Final Four, but when the Hawkeyes advanced, she had to pull out.

All of this is through no fault of her own; USA Basketball caters to the WNBA schedule, as that's when most of the top players in the country are available to work out. These players, along with being multiple-time all-stars, MVPs and league veterans, have had ample time to jell and play together in international situations. Boston, a 2023 All-Star and reigning Rookie of the Year, attended all these camps and didn't make the roster, either.

Sure, Clark may be the most popular player in the U.S. right now, but popularity technically isn't a factor for the selection committee. The women's basketball national team isn't desperate for a popularity boost, either; according to Sports Media Watch, the gold medal game between the U.S. and Tokyo in 2021 averaged 7.9 million viewers. In 2012, 10.2 million people tuned in.

Clark is a generational player, but this year, she wasn't the right fit for the Olympic team. It doesn't mean she was snubbed or that WNBA veterans and the USA Basketball selection committee are jealous of her success.

She is 22 years old and a rookie in a league full of Hall-of-Fame caliber players. Clark's time will come in Los Angeles in 2028, when she has four years of experience in the league, availability to participate in training camps and Olympic qualifying matches, and even a better understanding of the game.

Follow IndyStar Fever Insider Chloe Peterson on X at @chloepeterson.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why Caitlin Clark was left off 2024 US Olympic women's basketball team