Former Gopher Shae Kelley Hoping To Make The Cut For Lynx
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Before the Lynx start the regular season Friday, they still need to trim their training camp roster.
They have until Wednesday's deadline to cut four more players, and coach Cheryl Reeve said Saturday that only a couple of roster spots are still up for grabs.
And one of the players squarely on that bubble is former Gophers forward Shae Kelley.
When the Lynx picked Kelley in the third round, they knew exactly what kind of player they were getting. After all, they'd watched her excel for the Gophers just down the road.
"I definitely think it plays to my favor a little bit," she said, "since the coaches have seen me."
As a third round pick, Kelly knew going in that her work was cut out for her if she wanted to make the team.
"The main thing is just be myself, that I can go out there and really execute what they want," she said. "That's an adjustment you have to make from college to the league. It's a quick turnaround but you have to adjust to what the new coaches that you have want. And I've just been trying to show them that I can do that."
After two weeks of training camp, Kelley is one of the players Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve is taking a hard look at for one of the final roster spots. And while life on the bubble is an anxious place to be, Kelley is staying confident.
"You try not to think about that," Kelley said. "Just coming in and playing your game. That's the main thing I think about. You don't think about, 'oh man.' That's when you mess up. So I just gotta come out here and put that behind me. I understand that I'm still trying to make the team, and that is something that's in the back of your mind, but at the same time, when you're on the floor in between those lines, you just gotta play."
With Spanish guard Anna Cruz playing overseas and not returning to the Lynx until July, Reeve said that aspect will affect her decision.
"What it's going to come down to for Shae is really the position that we keep," Reeve said. "As everyone knows, we're kind of shorthanded at the backup guard spot until Anna gets here, and so we've just got to figure out which direction we want to go with that. But I think Shae has done just about everything she can do to put herself in position to make our team."
As she spends the next few days trying to make the kind of impression that will tip things in her favor, Kelley is grateful for the opportunity.
"Regardless of the outcome, this has been a great experience for me," she said. "A dream come true."
