“You’re not going to come out here and be the star player. That’s not how it’s going to be for USA basketball,” Caitlin Clark had recently said in an interview about how it’s difficult to be a superstar in a talent-laden USA squad, especially when you are making your senior debut, but Puerto Rico probably didn’t get the memo.

Puerto Rican media is heavily promoting Caitlin Clark as the face of Team USA ahead of the upcoming FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in San Juan. Keep in mind, this USA team will have veterans like Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young, yet people choose to focus on the rookie of the senior team.

Well, it’s natural because nobody has been able to get eyes on the game quite like Caitlin. Her impact on the game has drawn comparisons to Michael Jordan’s influence on the NBA.

Caitlin Clark is the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer with 3921 points, averaging 28.4 points per game across four seasons, demonstrating elite consistency. Her popularity led to the creation of a new term to describe her influence – the Caitlin Clark Effect.

However, Clark had previously made it clear that she didn’t expect star-level attention. In an interview with the media, she had said, “You’re going to find a way to help the team win. You’re going to find a way to compete to the best of your ability.” Clearly, as a newcomer on the senior team, she’s taking a back seat to the veterans.

Alongside Caitlin Clark, there are other debutants as well, who everyone would want to see. Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers will all look to command attention to make their case for a spot on the World Cup roster.

So, with a team brimming with superstars, is there anyone who is going under the radar in all these conversations? Well, according to CC, there is one player on the roster who exactly fits the description.

Clark Calls Teammate Kiki Iriafen Most Underrated In the USA Lineup

When you look at the USA team, you would feel that there is nobody who needs a special mention. But even then, there is someone who CC feels doesn’t get the attention that she deserves.

“But like, the way her game has kind of evolved, and how she’s just gotten better, especially over the course of the year, she’s only played professionally for one year. I don’t think people always appreciate her and like notice her and what her game does,”

“And obviously, I haven’t played against her yet as a professional, but getting to watch her from the sideline this year, she was outstanding, and I think she has a really bright future too,” Clark had said about Kiki Iriafen, giving her full marks as a player and a competitor.

Ever since transitioning into the WNBA, Kiki has been showing why she can be called the future of the sport. If her rookie season is something to go by, it should tell you that the sky is the limit for the former Stanford Cardinal and USC player. Kiki averaged 13.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game for the Mystics, and she even earned herself All-Star honors in 2025.

Moreover, Iriafen set a single-season franchise record for Washington after reaching 16 double-doubles, which put her fifth overall in the WNBA. The scouts must have noticed her immense potential, which earned her an invitation to participate among the nation’s top 18 players in the team’s training camp back in December.

Greatness recognizes greatness, they say, and Caitlin Clark knows what a star Kiki is, and that makes her a player to keep an eye on, especially since forward Aliyah Boston won’t be there to bolster the frontcourt as she was forced to withdraw due to an injury.