Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton had some big shoes to fill when it came to her Canadian WNBA peers.
She is currently one of only four Canadian players in the league -- a list that includes Kia Nurse, Natalie Achonwa and Lynx teammate Kayla Alexander. But unlike some of these names, Carleton didn’t have a traditional route to becoming one of the talented young faces in the WNBA.
She didn’t attend UConn or Notre Dame, and she wasn’t picked in the first round of the WNBA draft.
No, instead, Carleton attended Iowa State where she was named Big 12 Player of the Year in her senior season and was picked 21st-overall in the second round of the 2019 draft by the Connecticut Sun, only to get released by them after getting into just four games.
Fortunately for her, as one door closed another eventually opened.
“Getting drafted by Connecticut, I was really excited to make that roster, figuring out the professional game last summer and the professional lifestyle and everything that this game entails,” Carleton said in a recent interview. “Obviously getting waived is disappointing but I'm the type of person that believes everything happens for a reason.
"Minnesota took a chance on me at the end of the season to pick me up and sign me for the rest of the year and I was really lucky to get a chance to show myself at the end of the year last year and they signed me again for this year.”
Bridget Carleton dribbles the baseline during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Big 12 women's conference tournament championship in Oklahoma City, Monday, March 11, 2019. (Alonzo Adams / AP)
Carleton was without a team for 48 days before the Lynx signed her to a seven-day contract on Aug. 22, 2019. After her contract was up, the Lynx took on Carleton for the remainder of the 2019 season and into 2020.
Though she only averaged a meager 0.8 points, 0.3 rebounds per game in that initial seven-day tryout, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve saw something in Carleton’s shooting ability that would fit with the team’s offence and could see a role for her with Minnesota.
Fast-forward to the 2020 season, with Maya Moore still out of the lineup fighting for social justice and injuries to players like Sylvia Fowles leaving gaps in the Lynx starting five, Carleton went from playing one minute in the season opener, to becoming a rotational bench piece, to recording her historic first start on Aug. 5 in a matchup against fellow Canadian Nurse and the New York Liberty -- when she became only the third player in WNBA history to record 25-plus points and five-plus rebounds in their first WNBA start.
Carleton led all Lynx scorers in that contest with 25 points on the nose while also adding seven rebounds and three assists on ultra-efficient 68.8 per cent shooting, including a perfect 3-of-3 mark from three-point range.
Another historic night came for Carleton on Aug. 31 against the Los Angeles Sparks, as she tied a record set by Lynx great Moore, recording 10 assists in one game -- the second most in franchise history behind only Andrea Lloyd, who dropped 11 dimes in 1999.
“Being in a bubble and playing every other day, essentially, I knew I was going to get some opportunity to get some playing time early on,” Carleton said. “We've had some injuries, unfortunately, but that just meant, even more opportunity for me, so I knew that opportunity was going to be there, it was just a matter of me staying confident and being ready to take advantage of it.
“I think I was able to do that pretty well with my first start, and then I’ve started over 10 games now which has been awesome, and the coaches have instilled confidence in me and what I can do, and my teammates believe in me. So just staying ready, staying confident, doing what I can to help the team win and be that consistent player on the floor.”
Carleton is second in the league in three-point percentage, shooting 51.3 per cent, and though her career stats may not be the best looking in comparison to those of her teammates Napheesa Collier or Damiris Dantas, she executes fundamental plays exemplified by her losing a defender like Diana Taurasi to score a layup in the fourth quarter to secure a 90-80 win against the Phoenix Mercury on Aug. 21. “Bridget has been doing that for us all season – she’s opportunistic,” said Reeve. “Go out there and guard her she’ll shoot the three. She's also really good off the bounce, she's a good passer. She just does simple things, she's not going to play outside of herself, and there's really something to be said for that.” With a 13-6 record, the fourth best in the league, the Lynx are making a case for why they should be a top pick as title contenders, though many look past them as Seattle and Las Vegas stay successful. Carleton, however, knows that the team doesn’t play for recognition -- they just want to win games and, hopefully, a championship. “We don't care that we're a young team, we have a lot of players that have experience at the collegiate level, we have good vets in Sylvia Fowles -- I know she's not playing right now because she's injured, but she's in [our] ear all the time,” Carleton said. “We're still learning from a lot of people and I think we're learning as we go together and our energy is high, we enjoy playing together, we enjoy playing with each other, so it's all worked out so far. We're gonna keep it rolling now heading into playoffs.” Looking beyond the 2020 season, Carleton also plans to compete in 2021 in Tokyo for Team Canada, a program she has been with for eight years, playing 81 games for the national team at both the junior and senior levels. The Chatham native tallied eight points and four rebounds in Canada’s Olympic-qualifying win over Sweden back in February, playing the second-most minutes out of any Canadian other than Nurse. Though the Olympics have been postponed, playing for Canada in the Olympics is still on the to-do list for Carleton. “It's fun, to have us four Canadians in the WNBA right now, and I think that number will continue to rise just as the growth of Canada basketball continues to get better and better. I'm so excited to be a part of that,” she said. “I'm always proud to be Canadian, to represent our country to the best of my ability. It's an honour to be able to represent our country at this level – playing for Team Canada has been my No. 1 dream, my No. 1 goal. Playing with the national team is always a priority for me and I'm looking forward to hopefully playing in 2021.”
Bridget Carleton suited up for Canada during the 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. (CP/FIBA)[/caption]
