Catching up with Bridget Carleton: Former Iowa State women’s basketball star preparing for WNBA playoffs

ARLINGTON, Texas — Bridget Carleton knows exactly what fellow Iowa State product Ashley Joens has endured this season as a WNBA rookie.

Joens, a second-round pick of Dallas in 2023, has played for three different teams this season, a roller coaster of a debut that hearkens Carleton, 26, back to her own rookie year.

After a stellar career at ISU where she was named 2019 Big 12 Player of the Year and was a three-time first-team all-Big 12 selection, Carleton was a second-round pick of Connecticut in 2019. After playing just four games for the Sun, she was released but quickly landed in Minnesota, where she’s been ever since.

The Lynx open the WNBA playoffs Wednesday at Connecticut.

“We (Joens and I) played together one year, so obviously (have a) good relationship. She texted me a couple things at the end of her season about agents and things,” Carleton said. “It’s always good to have alumni (in the league), someone you played with.

“I was lucky (when I came into the WNBA). I had (Canadian) national team teammates in Kia Nurse and Natalie Achonwa who were in the league. I knew them well so got the lay of the land from them. She (Joens) was then able to get it from me. Obviously, a rocky rookie season in and out (of the league). That’s what mine was like. Just happens. Timing, a little bit lucky and then trying to find your spot, which I was able to do. Hopefully, she’s able to do that.”

Finding a home with the Minnesota Lynx

This season, Carleton played in 38 of the 40 regular-season games for the Lynx, including four starts. She is averaging 3.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. However, for Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve, Carleton’s contributions can’t be fully quantified by her numbers.

“Bridget is always ready and willing to do whatever is necessary. She’s trustworthy. She’s always going to be where she’s supposed to be,” Reeve said. “I just know that when something happens, it wasn’t BC’s fault because BC literally is always where she’s supposed to be.”

The main reason Carleton has thrived in the Twin Cities is because she knows she has found a home with the Lynx under Reeve, a comfort zone which has allowed her to find a nice rhythm.

“I’ve been lucky that I’ve found a franchise that believes in me. Coach always has relied on me and trusted me in different roles,” Carleton said. “Game-to-game, my role changes, but I know coach and my teammates always trust me.

“To be with one franchise for five years has been really cool. I found a home here and really enjoy Minnesota and the Lynx.”

Carleton likes Reeve being a coach who can be rather hard on her at times, an environment with high expectations that she also experienced in Ames under longtime ISU coach Bill Fennelly.

“Obviously, I grew a lot as a player in Ames,” she said. “Being able to do a little bit of everything. I was playing as a 4, but I was bringing the ball up. I was a wing, I was shooting 3s off the dribble, I was getting post-ups (helped a lot).

“I take little aspects of that experience, being the go-to player my senior player, being a role player my freshman year, things like that. I’ve done it all and coach (Fennelly), he trusted me just like Cheryl trusts me and my national team trusts me. Relying on those experiences for sure. Still feel love for Ames and those coaches, (they) still text me a lot.”

Olympic dreams

In November, she and Team Canada will have their second set of qualifiers for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, her latest opportunity to represent her home nation on the international stage, something which never gets old.

“We’ve been on the rise for a while. There’s a solid core of us who have been growing together,” Carleton said. “(We) had success at the World Championships last September and hopefully continue that to qualify for Paris. Hopefully, we qualify and then do some damage there.

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“I love playing for my national team. It’s always been a priority and something I love to do. We’ve had a coaching change and some new players, a new wave of talent coming in, so I’m now a veteran on that team with Kia Nurse, Natalie Achonwa and I leading the way. It’s been fun. I’ve grown a lot in that program.”

Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas