Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- Leading the Lynx? It's Asia!

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Asia Taylor led the Lynx in preseason scoring

- Laura Terry added to Weber State coaching ranks

The defending WNBA Champion Minnesota Lynx went 2-0 in the preseason schedule. They return five starters, ten players from last years squad and look to be a prime contender, probable favorite to repeat in 2014.

So...who lead the squad in scoring in the preseason games?

No other than Asia Taylor!

Asia Taylor 2 1 22.4 .643 .000 .545 .00 1.50 1.50 2.0 1.50 .00 2.50 4.50 12.0 Tan White 2 1 26.9 .500 .000 .900 1.50 3.00 4.50 2.5 .50 .50 3.00 2.00 11.5 Maya Moore 2 2 15.7 .500 .667 1.000 .50 4.50 5.00 .0 3.00 .50 1.50 1.50 10.5 Seimone Augustus 2 2 15.4 .500 .500 1.000 .50 .00 .50 1.5 .00 .00 1.50 .50 10.0 Tricia Liston 1 0 22.9 .500 1.000 .500 1.00 5.00 6.00 .0 2.00 .00 2.00 1.00 8.0 Damiris Dantas 2 0 28.2 .353 .000 .667 2.50 4.00 6.50 2.0 1.00 .50 2.50 2.50 8.0 Janel McCarville 2 2 14.2 .364 .333 .500 .00 3.50 3.50 .5 1.00 .50 .50 2.00 5.0 Lindsay Whalen 2 2 14.8 .300 .000 1.000 1.00 .50 1.50 3.0 .00 .00 1.50 .50 4.5 Lindsey Moore 2 0 22.5 .375 .200 .500 .00 .00 .00 4.5 1.00 .00 1.00 1.00 4.0 Christina Foggie 2 0 15.7 .167 .167 .333 .50 2.00 2.50 .5 1.50 .00 .50 2.50 2.5 Waltiea Rolle 2 0 12.8 .333 .000 .000 1.50 2.50 4.00 .0 .00 .50 2.00 3.50 2.0 Team Averages 2 0 220.0 .432 .318 .722 8.5 24.0 32.5 16.5 10.5 2.5 18.0 21.0 74.0 Opponents 2 0 220.0 .372 .333 .714 13.0 24.0 37.0 13.5 6.5 3.5 20.0 25.0 66.5 created: 05/11/2014,08:05 PM
Our Jeff McAdams loves stats...(not!) but the numbers above suggest to us that the Columbus, OH native and former Lady Card has found a role...and a home...in Minneapolis/St Paul. With Rebekka Brunson out indefinitely for knee surgery, it looks like #31 will make the roster and...let's face it, preseason hardly indicates how the regular season will go...but it looks like Taylor will be a source for Minnesota to call on if the returning front liners for the Lynx falter. We couldn't be happier for A-Tayy. During her senior year in high school, we thought she was the next Angel McCoughtry. A devastating leg injury stopped her senior campaign and was still an issue when she arrived on campus that fall. It took time for Taylor to heal and recover. Just when it looked like she was getting back to becoming that player we saw in high school, she suffered a hip injury that sidelined her for the 2012-13 season. Having to watch on the bench as the Cards went to New Orleans and played in the Final Four had to have been a bittersweet experience for her. Happy for her teammates, of course...but wondering how her final chapter in college basketball would be written...or if it would be written at all. We saw the Asia Taylor that had Jeff Walz raving about her five years earlier bloom to full splendor in the 2013-14 season. Strong, a leader, making smart decisions on the court and fulfilling the role that Monique Reid had performed a season ago. The inside scorer. The "go-to" in the paint. The enforcer. We hope that A-Tayy has a great season and gets plenty of chances to show her teammates and the WNBA what we saw in her way back in 2008 and what Cardinal fans and UofL opponents saw last year It's been a long time coming...but the reward for A-Tayy was well worth the wait.             *            *            *            *            * Yesterday, we learn that Becky Burke is going from the west coast to Indiana. Today's geography lesson features Laura Terry moving from south-central Kentucky to Ogden, Idaho. ( We can't wait to see what is in store for Thursday! ) Here's the Weber State press release: OGDEN – Weber State women’s basketball has named Laura Terry as a new assistant coach for the Wildcat program, head coach Bethann Ord announced Thursday. Terry, a native of Ironton, Ohio, joins the WSU program after spending the last two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Western Kentucky. In her first year with the Lady Toppers, she helped engineer one of the nation’s best turnarounds, helping WKU to 13 more wins than the previous season, setting the Sun Belt Conference record for largest win improvement. During the 2013-14 season, the Lady Toppers finished 24-9 and won the conference title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008. She played three years of college basketball at Louisville and was a member of the 2009 team that went to the national championship game. She saw action in 64 career games with the Cardinals and started eight games. She finished her career shooting 52 percent from the field. After injuries shortened her career, she spent two seasons as a student assistant at Louisville. Bethann Ord was a member of the Cardinals coaching staff at the time. “I’m ecstatic to welcome Laura to our staff at Weber State,” Ord said. “She comes to us as one of the young upcoming coaches in women’s basketball. She is a product of two winning programs as a player and Student Assistant at Louisville and a graduate assistant at Western Kentucky. I had the opportunity to coach Laura and as a player she was very knowledgeable of the game and had an incredible work ethic. She will work with our post players and will serve as our academic and community liaison. Additionally, she will continue to help us with our philosophy and goals of being a championship program.” Terry attended Rose Hill High School and earned second-team All-State honors during her junior and senior seasons. She also helped Rose Hill become the smallest school to reach the KHSAA Sweet 16 Championship Game during her junior year, and another state-tournament appearance as a senior. She earned a degree from the University of Louisville with a double major in Health and Human Performance and Physical Education. “Laura worked and played for Jeff Walz, one of the best minds in women’s basketball,” Ord continued. “At Western Kentucky she served as a graduate assistant for Michelle Clark-Heard, the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year who was a great mentor and gave her a lot of responsibilities that prepared her for this opportunity. I am confident Laura will be able to mentor our young ladies, having played at the highest level and against some of the best players in women’s basketball. Despite injuries as a player, she took that opportunity to become a student of the game and developed a passion for coaching, which will be an incredible asset to our staff.” paulie