Bridget Carleton excited for second Olympics with Canada as she flourishes in WNBA

ARLINGTON, Texas — On June 25, Bridget Carleton scored 23 points with four rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Minnesota Lynx in a 94-89 win against the New York Liberty, giving the Lynx the 2024 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup for the first time. Carleton, 27, an Iowa State product, was 8-for-10 from the field, including going 6-for-8 from long range.

It was the latest accomplishment added to her impressive basketball resume, one which already includes 2019 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year honors, three first-team all-Big 12 selections and solid careers both in the WNBA and in the Euroleague with a team in Hungary.

And in late July, she will head to France to play for Canada in her second Summer Olympics after also appearing in the 2020 games in Tokyo, which were delayed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Carleton, who has represented Canada since 2013, is looking forward to her second taste of Olympic play.

“Yeah, obviously real excited and it will be different without the pandemic. It should be fun,” she said. “I’ve been to France multiple times. We’re actually playing in Lille, which is two hours outside of Paris, so it’s a little bit different (than actually being in Paris). Playing for the national team and in the Olympics is always my No. 1 goal and passion.”

Along with Napheesa Collier (USA) and Alanna Smith (Australia), she’s part of a Lynx contingent that will be in France seeking Olympic glory. Her Lynx head coach, Cheryl Reeve, will also be in France coaching Team USA and Reeve likes seeing current and former players also getting their opportunities on the international stage.

“Yeah, it’s been fun to see these players on a world stage, to see Bridget Carleton on an all-tournament team, what they call All-Star Five. That’s in the world,” Reeve said. “That’s not just the Americas region, that’s the world. What she’s been doing for Canada has been prepping her for these moments that she’s now getting in the W. It’s very gratifying to see players (who I have coached) on the world stage.”

Carleton can’t help but thank longtime Cyclones women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly, without whose tutelage she wouldn’t have reached the heights in the game she has.

“When I came in as a freshman, I didn’t think playing in the W was going to be realistic for me. I had no idea (about my future),” she said.

“I thought I’d go overseas, play for my national team, that was about it. But I developed so much as a player, as a leader and as a person there in my four years, especially going into my senior year and I realized I might get drafted and be able to stay in the W. He (Fennelly) had so much trust in me and confidence in me to make mistakes and play through it. I’m really grateful for that. From day one, I played a lot of minutes and that confidence was instilled all four years. Really thankful for my development as a player and it’s a definitely a big part of why I’m here today.”

Fennelly jokingly threatened to install security cameras at the ISU practice facility to ensure the hard-working Carleton wasn’t practicing too much.

“Yeah, I was a workhorse,” Carleton said. “When I didn’t shoot well, especially, I wanted to be in the gym getting shots up. Those facilities you can get into any time of day. I wasn’t crazy, I didn’t go in the middle of the night obviously, but I definitely like getting in the gym and being the best version of myself because I know preparation leads to confidence on the court.”

Reeve has seen a nice progression in the ex-Cyclone in the WNBA, which doesn’t surprise her one bit.

“The very first time we put Bridget Carleton on the floor and we didn’t have any practice time, she did something so basic and simple that it was eye-popping,” Reeve said.

“It gets lost on people, doing something simple: penetrating to a gap, making a bounce pass to an open player on time and on target. It stuck with us. That is the definition of BC. She does simple things extremely well and never plays outside of herself. We’ve tried to get her to play outside herself a little bit. I want her to take some bad ones (shots). It’s time. What she was doing for her team in Hungary is exactly what we needed her to do for us. I think she got that confidence with her Euroleague team and she brought that back. It’s been great for us.”

Carleton, who was drafted by Connecticut in 2019 but didn’t make the Sun as a rookie, originally joined the Lynx on a seven-day contract in August 2019 and Minnesota ended up signing her for the rest of the season. Reeve, who has coached the Lynx since 2010, is the only coach she’s known in the W and the ex-Cyclone has said repeatedly how much she enjoys playing for her because of her ability to know when to push players to tap into their potential and make them the best players they can be.

“Yeah, for sure and my role on the team has evolved during my time here. I’m always the player that wants to get the best shot for the team,” Carleton said. “Moving the ball, making the right cut, doing things like that is who I am as a player but also knowing that I might need to step up, make some hard shots and some hard plays because that’s needed sometimes too. I’ve learned that and have her (Reeve’s) trust and my teammates’ trust.”

Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.