​Caitlin Clark Showers Cecilia Zandalasini With Praise Ahead of Team USA’s Clash Against Italy © Indiana Fever/IGIt appears that Caitlin Clark feels the same way about Cecilia Zandalasini as many Golden State Valkyries fans. Talking to the media ahead of their clash on Sunday, the Team USA guard was complimentary of Italy’s forward.“She had an incredible year with the Valks,” Clark said. “Coach Nat, who’s on our staff, has been able to coach her and really get the best out of her. I think she’s an incredible player. It seems like every game she continues to get better and better.”Clark has Italian heritage on her mother’s side, making Sunday’s matchup against Zandalasini especially interesting. She went on to detail the scouting report on Zandalasini and how valuable she is to the Italian side, which picked up its first World Cup win in 30 years with a 63-54 victory against Czechia.“She can stretch the floor. She can score in the mid-range. She has great size. She’s athletic. So she’ll be one of the keys to our scouting report, I’m sure. But she’s certainly had a tremendous year, and I would expect her to do the same for Italy as well.”Zandalasini has developed into an important player for the Valkyries. In 35 games, including a career-high 32 starts, the forward has averaged 8.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists.She also had a solid game against Czechia, finishing with 19 points, five rebounds and three assists.Like Zandalasini, Clark has also been having an excellent season. In 36 games with the Fever, Clark is averaging career highs of 22.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 8.4 assists.Caitlin Clark Has a Message for Fans After Her Impressive World Cup Debut Caitlin Clark had a message for the fans in Germany after they watched her drop a double-double on her World Cup debut.“Just excited. I thought the crowd was really great, and just excited to be here and playing in Germany for my first time. I think it’ll only get better as the tournament goes on,” she said.Clark, who started the game against China off the bench, made an immediate impact in the opener. She recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 assists en route to winning the Best Player award. She shot 4-of-9 from the field, including 3-of-7 from deep. She also pulled down three rebounds and finished with zero turnovers.She is now one of eight players with 10 or more assists in a Women’s World Cup game since the stat started being recorded in 1994.Clark and Team USA will look to keep their momentum rolling when they face Italy on Sunday.Read More:Caitlin Clark Gives Rare Insight After Facing China’s 7-Foot-3 Zhang Ziyu With Historic Double-Double“She’s a Better All-Around Player”: OutKick Reporter Argues Caitlin Clark Deserves to Start Over Chelsea Gray for Team USA After Stellar DebutCollege Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in the NBA, college football, men’s college basketbal