NEW YORK - Minnesota Lynx coach Jennifer Gillom made a prediction and Nicky Anosike made it come true.
Last year, Gillom, then an assistant coach, told Anosike that she was going to be a WNBA All-Star.
"I thought she was blowing smoke,'' said Anosike, a former Tennessee Lady Vol. "This woman doesn't know what she's talking about. But you know what, she was right."
In her second season with the Lynx, Anosike and teammate Charde Houston were chosen as Western Conference reserves Monday and will play in the WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday in Uncasville, Conn.
Anosike, Minnesota's center, is third in the league in rebounding (7.4 per game) and second in steals (3.1) while averaging 13.9 points per game.
She played on two national championship teams at Tennessee but played more of a supporting role.
"I know in college I wasn't necessarily one of the superstars on the team,'' she said. "I had to work hard and prove myself. It was nice that it finally paid off."
Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix, the league's top scorer at 20.7 points per game, also was chosen as a reserve.
Taurasi, serving a two-game suspension after being cited on drunken-driving related charges, will be make her fourth All-Star appearance.
She will be joined on the Western Conference squad by Phoenix teammate Cappie Pondexter. Other Western reserves include Tina Thompson (Sparks), who will make her eighth All-Star appearance to tie teammate Lisa Leslie for the league record. and Sophia Young (Silver Stars) fill out the roster.
The Eastern Conference reserves include Atlanta Dream teammates Sancho Lyttle and Erika de Souza. They are joined by Shameka Christon (Liberty), Jia Perkins (Sky), Katie Smith (Shock), and Ashja Jones (Sun).
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Comments » 5
LdyVolFaninKS writes:
Anosike has always been an all-star to me! She won the championship game against Stanford for us...HANDS DOWN! What was it...14 rebounds? As CPS says, "Defense wins games, rebounds win championships!" Congrats Nicky...all your hard work is paying off!!
mississippi writes:
She also scored i think 12 pts and had 6 or 7 steals as well in that game. Go Big Nicky. You are an ALL-STAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CTOWNICON writes:
The unsung hero! Good job Nikki! Keep up the good work. Also she played good when Candace got hurt against Texas A&M. She held the lady vols in the game while Candace was out. Always a great defender!
98reax writes:
'Bout flippin' time Nicky got some recognition for being the consistent, hard-nosed baller she is. I've noticed she's been key in most games since she's been in the pros. I would not be at all surprise if she does not get a look for the women's national team in the very near future, if she stays healthy. She seems to be getting even more mentally tough and determined to be a leader, which is really amazing seeing how she is surrounded on the Linx team by many "college big names."
YankeeVol writes:
Nicky was always my favorite on the Lady Vols - she deserved way more credit, attention, and accolades than she got. I'm glad she is really appreciated in the WNBA.
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