Welcome to the 2026 FIBA World Cup! message notification hits CATHY ENGELBERT ANNOUNCED WHAT??

We couldn’t just have a nice and easy day of fun basketball could we? Andrew will have a Cathy Engelbert retirement column coming your way here later, I got you covered with my top three takeaways from the United States’ dominant win against China.

Andrew calls the iso for his immediate Engelbert thoughts…

Tyler and Andrew react to the Team USA opening win…

Hot take. I know.

Truly though, what an awesome performance it was from Caitlin Clark in this game. From the very first moment I started covering Clark I have always said, the threes bring the people in, but her strongest piece of her game is her passing. 11 assists with zero turnovers in her World Cup debut certainly supports that.

The game simply changed in this one when Caitlin Clark was in at point guard. The pace was a necessity against a China defense that, when set in their 2-3 zone, actually did slow up the USA offense at times. Can’t get in a zone if you can’t get set. And you can’t get set if Caitlin Clark is pushing the ball up the court in the way she uniquely can.

Getting to see Clark operate as the playmaker for this incredibly talented USA roster, that includes plenty of floor spacing for her to kick to, was an absolute treat. I don’t expect to see the starting lineup change, and realistically the minutes will even out regardless, but I think there is absolutely #ethical dialogue to have about Clark running this offense from the jump.

When watching this game I couldn’t shake the question, is anybody better suited to Team USA play on this roster than Rhyne Howard? I have never seen basketball life as easy as it was for her in this game.

As my paisano states above, it really is just perfect for Howard. If you are a frequent viewer of my takes on YouTube you know I am one to get frustrated with Howard’s offensive shot diet at times. But here? Three and D is the ask of Rhyne Howard and she fits that role incredibly well. As the guard revolution continues to grow, the ask of players to space the floor that can also defend dynamically is an ever increasing one. Alongside Jackie Young, Rhyne Howard is perfectly suited to be that player.

This tournament was always going to be the beginning of the bridging of eras between essentially the non-NIL WNBA players and the young core of NIL players, aka the Young and Turnt crew. The more you watch this group play though…how long will this be a bridging and not a takeover?

I think your forwards are largely set in stone for the next cycle. A’ja, Phee, Stewie, Boston, and Reese don’t show any signs of shifting. But the guards? Think about who you already have on this roster, then think about the players such as Olivia Miles that isn’t here, and oh yeah enter JuJu Watkins next WNBA season.

This honestly isn’t even an indictment on the players that have been on Team USA, it truly is a case of these young players being THAT damn good. Barring a trend of slow starts, I don’t imagine we will see the starting five change this tournament. But if the USA does end up in a clutch time game, who Kara Lawson decides to roll with will be incredibly interesting. Regardless we are totally at a point where we can have this dialogue going forward about the guards who will represent Team USA.

Geno Auriemma on Belonging, Fear and Motivation, and Caitlin Clark’s First World Cup by Seerat Sohi, The Ringer

The WNBA has experienced a French influence. It could also cause chaos in the World Cup by Eden Laase, The Athletic

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