USA Head Coach Warns Caitlin Clark & Teammates After Near Loss to Italy: “Let This Be The Last Time”

In their 2026 FIBA World Cup opener, Caitlin Clark put on a show with her record-setting performances, helping Team USA stomp on the Chinese counterpart with a dominant win.

After the game, fans back home felt that no matter what other international teams claimed, there was no stopping this juggernaut. Even if the Indiana Fever superstar has a bad game, the team’s other All-Stars have enough ability to chip in and ensure that they win.

The confidence from that win is something any sports team would want to use. In this tournament, more than half of Team USA are fresh faces who are just dipping their toes into the ultra-competitive international basketball scene.

Therefore, that 33-point win was going to set the tone, as things would only become tougher when the knockout stages arrive. But against Italy, the 12 WNBA stars were about to get a rude wake-up call that led head coach Kara Lawson to say this in the locker room.

You played what’s going to be our worst offensive game of the tournament… Let this be the last time that a team plays with more passion than us… that all 12 don’t show up to compete at a high level… Your contribution has to be your effort, your passion, your energy, your intensity that you play with.

Kara Lawson told the team

Inside the #USABWNT locker room after improving to 2-0 & qualifying for the #FIBAWWC quarterfinals. pic.twitter.com/JkknXTYiDB

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) September 6, 2026

This speech is what a team that almost lost its first game in 20 years needed to hear. Caitlin Clark’s horrific offensive performance might be the one catching the headlines. But overall, this team struggled mightily and was four points away from facing an embarrassing defeat.

Analyst points out how bad USA was

Kara Lawson explained to the media that her veterans stepped up when it counted. But one look at the stat sheet indicates that this was not the case, at least until five minutes left in the game.

Did they (Italy) play perfectly? No, they played far from perfect. Italy had 18 turnovers; they had 12 in the first half, and USA only wins by 3… Italy shoots 37% from the field… They shoot 13% from the three… USA shot 10 more free throws than Italy did… The refs were on our side tonight.

Rachel DeMita detailed

This was basketball analyst and courtside reporter Rachel DeMita detailing on her channel how commentators and fans were trying to suggest that the physicality Italy brought was what caused the Americans problems.

But it was far from it, as every one of Team USA’s All-Stars struggled to score and were not even efficient on defense. The YouTuber pointed out that if an opposing team had all those mistakes in a game, they would lose by a considerable margin.

But Caitlin Clark and her fellow national players struggling this badly should be a wake-up call. If they take it easy and without the passion Lawson detailed, expect this team to lose to other international teams who have come in with the intent of upsetting the Americans.

Analyst details how Caitlin Clark and Team USA should treat every FIBA World Cup game

Once she detailed the statistics to point out how lucky Caitlin Clark and her USA Basketball teammates are to avoid their first loss in 20 years, Rachel DeMita then went on to detail how lackadaisical her countrywomen were.

Italy definitely came out there- from the bench, to the players on the court, to the coach, everyone came out with so much more fire and so much more fight. Someone who was in my chat was saying, ‘Italy is playing like this is a gold-medal game.’ Everybody, including Team USA, should be playing like it is a gold-medal game.

Rachel DeMita said

DeMita reiterated that the talent on Team USA is such that it would be difficult for any other top international player at this World Cup to take their place. Despite that, to win by only three points should be the humiliation the slender win might not show.

She also dismissed all the notions that the team showed how much they missed superstar A’ja Wilson. Rather, the courtside reporter believes that the American women were not locked in as a team, and that is something they need to shed fast.

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