Amid a whirlwind trip to the Paris Games as part of the American presidential delegation, South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley sat down with Mike Tirico to talk all things U.S. men's and women's basketball.

Naturally, that included Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever rookie who wasn't included on the final 12-player Olympic roster earlier this year. Staley was part of the selection committee who made that decision, and had nothing but positive things to say about the way Clark has grown as a player in her short time in the WNBA.

"As a committee member, you're charged with putting together the best team," Staley said. "Caitlin is just a rookie in the WNBA. She wasn't playing bad, but she wasn't playing like she's playing now. If we had to do it all over again, the way she's playing, she'd be in really high consideration of making the team."

Staley, who won three Olympic gold medals as a player and one more as coach at the Tokyo Games, went on to compliment Clark's passing ability and basketball IQ. Her answer also underlines the reality of the decision-making process for USA Basketball, one that takes far longer than people realize — and began even before Clark was drafted into the WNBA. It's a process that takes all manner of things into account and is, necessarily, a moving target, given the limited amount of time the committee gets to spend with players in camp. One thing's for sure, though: If Clark keeps her recent form up, she'll have plenty of Olympic moments in her future.

Staley also broke down the U.S. men's team's big win over Serbia on Sunday, praising not just stars like Kevin Durant and LeBron James but role players like Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White for being the glue that holds everything together.

"They're players who will not complain," Staley said. "They are high-performing, low-maintenance, and that's what you want. You've got your superstars. But these are the players who are starring in their rotation and their playing time."