No, Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese can't replace Cameron Brink. But Katie Lou Samuelson could.
Less than four minutes into Tuesday night’s game between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Connecticut Sun, rookie sensation Cameron Brink had to be helped off the floor. Less than 24 hours later, the bad news was confirmed: the second-overall pick out of Stanford had torn the ACL in her left knee.
And so, the Stanford product’s first WNBA season is over. Across 15 games, she averaged 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds, and her 2.3 blocks per game ranked third in the league.
But it’s not just that Brink’s inaugural professional campaign has ended prematurely. Her injury means that she’ll miss the Olympics in Paris, France too, where she was set to anchor Team USA’s 3×3 women’s basketball squad. Brink was the MVP at the FIBA 3×3 World Cup last summer, and the Americans – a unit that also includes Hailey Van Lith, Rhyne Howard and Cierra Burdick – were expected to win the gold again in Paris.
Brink was a big reason why those expectations existed. Her ability to knock down jump shots, grab rebounds and protect the rim, while also being quick enough and smart enough to guard multiple positions, is a crucial set of skills to 3×3 basketball.
So, now, Team USA needs a replacement.
Before we get into some players that might make sense, it’s important to remember that Team USA can’t select just anybody. As For The Win’s Meghan L. Hall and others pointed out on social media, players have to meet FIBA eligibility requirements to be selected. And so, no, Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese won’t fill Brink’s shoes on the 3×3 squad.
For what it's worth, if the USA 3×3 team were to have to replace one of the current four, it could be any US player who's played an official 3×3 tournament in the last 18 months. Current group has three of USA's top-10 ranked players, and by rule they only need two. #WNBA
— Richard Cohen (@RichardCohen1) June 18, 2024
With all that in mind, here are some potential options for the Americans to put alongside Van Lith, Howard and Burdick in Paris.
This is the pick that most the most sense. For starters, Hamby has real 3×3 experience, having helped the Americans qualify for the World Cup in 2022, and then leading them to a victory in the 2023 AmeriCup, where she was named tournament MVP.
And while Hamby isn’t as tall as Brink or as imposing of a rim protector, she brings a versatile game that shines in a 3×3 format. Hamby, at 6-foot-3 is among the tallest players left for the Americans in the 3×3 pool of players, and she’s shooting 40.6 percent from 3-point land in the WNBA this season. Moreover, Hamby is playing some of her best basketball right now, averaging a career-high 18.3 points per game along with 10.7 boards per game. The forward from Wake Forest is ninth in the WNBA in scoring and second in rebounding. Simply put, Hamby is in great form.
Besides, wouldn’t it be poetic to have one of Brink’s WNBA teammates fill in for her in Paris?
Got you every step of the way
pic.twitter.com/Qj7hkCNF4Z
— Dearica Marie Hamby (@dearicamarie) June 19, 2024
Like Hamby, Samuelson has a lot of experience playing 3×3 basketball. She was actually supposed to play for the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, but tested positive for COVID-19 and was scratched from the squad just days before the Olympics began. Samuelson returned to play for Team USA – alongside Hamby – at the 2023 AmeriCup.
The UConn product told the Associated Press in December:
“I have some unfinished business. I clearly wanted to be a part of the Tokyo Olympics and I was about 24 hours away from getting there. So, it was kind of important for me to give myself just the opportunity to be in the mix and I needed to play in something in order to be in that mix.”
Like Hamby, Samuelson is a player with some size and length who can also step out and swish a shot from beyond the arc. Playing for the Indiana Fever this year, Samuelson is fourth in the WNBA in 3-point shooting with a 45.5 percent mark. She’s also careful with the ball and has just 0.2 turnovers per game this season, which is the best in the league.
Hamby is the better rebounder and has more experience, but there’s no question that Samuelson is hungry to play in the Olympics and is more than capable of helping the Americans.
Gray would not meet the need for size that Team USA has now with Brink injured – she’s listed at just 6-feet tall – but she does bring a wealth of experience. The former South Carolina Gamecock played on the 3×3 team that won Olympic gold in 2021 in Tokyo. She tied for the team-lead in scoring in the Americans’ semifinal win, then had four points and five rebounds in the gold medal game.
Additionally, Gray was also part of the Team USA 3×3 training camp earlier this year, and played with Hamby, Brink and Linnae Harper in Springfield, Mass. in April.
Gray is playing well this year, averaging 15.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 45.8 percent – third best in the league – from 3-point range.
