Lindsay Whalen, the most famous female basketball player to come out of Minnesota, is coming back to the state. After a standout career at the University of Minnesota, Whalen was drafted by the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA and played with them for six seasons. After years of folks urging the Lynx to acquire Whalen, they finally did just that in January. And the other day, Whalen was named to the U.S. national team. I caught up with Whalen in Europe. She was doing what she always seems to be doing: playing basketball.
BS: Where are you right now?
LW: I’m in Prague. The Czech Republic. I’m here playing in Europe until the mid or end of April (for USK Praha). The playoffs start in, like, 10 days, and I’ll be here until the playoffs are over.
BS: Do you like Prague?
LW: It’s a really, really pretty city. It wasn’t affected by any of the world wars. All the monuments have been here for pretty much ever. At one time, I think the city was the head of the Roman Empire. There’s really a lot of history here.
BS: Were you always hoping to play for the Lynx, or did it not really matter to you to come home to play?
LW: I think I always had it in the back of my mind that eventually it would be fun to come home and play. It never was on my mind during our seasons in Connecticut. During the offseason or off time, you think about it. My family and parents still live there. This year, things just kind of worked out with what both teams wanted and needed.
BS: The WNBA. Europe. The U.S. national team. Don’t you ever need a break from the game?
LW: In the last year, I’ve had close to two months off. It’s worked out. I had a couple of years earlier where I had just a week or so break.
BS: Is it exciting to know that the Lynx have sold more tickets because of you?
LW: Yeah, it’s nice to know. It’s good to hear. People are interested in the season and looking forward to it. We know we have to prove our game on the court.
BS: People will be coming to see you, so is there added pressure to put up big numbers?
LW: In my time in the WNBA, that’s never really been something I focused on or had to focus on. There are always lots of people on the court who can score. That will be the case with the Lynx. There’s a ton of people who can score. My role is to do what’s needed on a given night.
BS: Are you instantly recognized when you’re in Minnesota?
LW: People will mention something from time to time and (before the trade) ask me where I’m playing now. In the past five or six years, I’ve only been able to get home during off times or when the Sun played the Lynx. So it hasn’t been a ton of times that I’ve come home.
BS: You have some talent on the Lynx, with three of you on the U.S. national team. (Fellow Lynx players Seimone Augustus and Candace Wiggins also are on the U.S. team.) Is it too early to guarantee a WNBA title?
LW: Well, that’s every team’s goal. I think we all have to come together and get to know each other’s game.
BS: So, no guarantee yet?
LW: I’m not too big on guarantees. No guarantees like Joe Namath.
BS: How exciting is it to be named to the U.S. national team?
LW: That’s a great honor, and it’s just exciting to be named with all those players. Just looking at the teams from the past that have been in world championships and the Olympics, it’s exciting to be named and to compete for a spot. There are 20 players now, and it will be brought down to a 12-player team.
BS: Are you in your prime now, or is there still room to get better?
LW: I think there’s always room to get better. As you get older, you get maybe a little smarter on the court. You know when to take risks and when not to take risks.
