In The Lane With Lea B. | May 21, 2015

Editor’s Note: Lea B. Olsen is a women’s basketball icon in the state of Minnesota. She’ll be sharing her knowledge with her weekly blog on our website along with broadcasting Lynx games for Fox Sports North this season.

NEW SEASON NEW EXCITEMENT:

One of the reasons I’m such a sports enthusiasts is that I love the hope and excitement a new season brings. What other parts of life do we get to just start over at zero and zero? Add a few pieces, tinker with areas that need work, and then it’s time to get on that long winding road back to a championship. I plugged Minnesota Lynx championship into my GPS, and although it looks like a long ride we definitely are going in the right direction.

NEW PRACTICE FACILITY:

The greatest athletes in the world should have the greatest place to practice and I think it’s fair to say the Lynx have that now with the new Mayo Clinic practice facility. The facility is state-of-the-art and it allows the Lynx to have their own court and access to elite training spaces and equipment. My favorite part is the cooking area where the chef can make fresh and healthy food right there on the spot. Certainly the nicest practice facility in the league which may help us secure free agents down the line.

NEW FACES:

Probably the biggest news to start training camp was that center Janel McCarville would not be playing in the WNBA this season. As the news arrived late to the Lynx they made a quick move and picked up veteran Asjha Jones.   Let me first say I will definitely miss having McCarville around. I like the way she plays the game with her heady veteran style of owning the court. I will always love the McCarville/Whalen connection which of course brings me back to our glorious Golden Gopher days!

However, I’m always happy to welcome a Connecticut alum to the squad. Jones is an athletic 6’3″ who should be able to step right into the starting lineup.  She too is at the point in her career where she knows and understands the game at a very high level.  Her biggest challenge will be getting to know the players quickly and figuring out how coach Cheryl Reeve runs her team. I am particularly interested in her  post skills on the block after talking to Reeve who believes she will be an offensive threat on the block. Having a threat from the elbow as well as the block could create many matchup problems for our opponents. I also like the potential rebounding threat she and Brunson provide, which will be essential to returning to dominating the boards.

I will continue to look at new players in my next blog when the Lynx Roster is cut down to size.

NEW REALITY FOR WNBA:

News that big names around the league will sit out definitely will have an impact on the 2015 season. Diana Taurasi will miss the entire season to make more money with her team in Russia. Candace Parker is taking part of the season off to rest her body and be with family.  Sylvia Fowles has threatened to sit out if not traded to a new team.  WNBA players are finding that they may need to do what is best for them financially and personally rather than what is best for their teams. Having those big names out of the way is good news for Lynx fans who are  hungry for another championship.  How good it is for the viability of the WNBA remains to be seen.

LEA LIKES:

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