Possible Olympian Megan Gustafson changed several teams and her game, and is doing great

LAS VEGAS — Megan Gustafson made 1,136 field goals in her Iowa women’s basketball career, but just one was a 3-pointer.

She matched that Thursday night alone in her Las Vegas Aces’ 99-78 win over the Washington Mystics at Michelob ULTRA Arena. It was her sixth 3-pointer of the season and 34th of her six-year WNBA career.

That has spanned being cut four times and playing for three different teams before signing a two-year contract last offseason with the two-time defending-champion Aces.

It’s meant becoming a different player from the pure, back-to-the-basket post player who poured in 2,804 points over four seasons with Iowa (and pulled down a Big Ten-record 1,460 rebounds).

Gustafson had nine points, six rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes in Thursday’s game while subbing for the most-dominant women’s center in the world, A’ja Wilson. Like Wilson, Gustafson runs the court in transition and guards players near and away from the basket.

She doesn’t park herself near the hoop the way she did at Iowa. She takes jumpers when they’re available.

“I don’t know if any player has gone from being a post player to a facing (the basket) 3-point shooting player in the best league in the world,” said Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen, who mentored Gustafson with the Hawkeyes from 2015 through her National Player of the Year 2018-19 season.

“She got herself a trainer from Minneapolis and really worked on her footwork. Ball-screens are hard to cover for anybody, the best guards, the quickest, most-agile centers.”

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It’s being a pro, doing what’s required for the team that employs you. And is Gustafson ever happy to be doing it for the loaded Las Vegas team.

“Being with the Aces is really just a blessing,” Gustafson said after a morning shoot-around here Tuesday, several hours before the Aces defeated Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever. “They are top of the line across the board, facilities, people, resources, everything that you could ever need to be able to perform.

“I talked to multiple teams. I had some offers, but I remember thinking if the Aces ever offer, that’s going to be the top for me. I've always wanted to play here. They’re back-to-back champions for a reason.”

Winning is fun, something Gustafson was used to at Iowa. The Hawkeyes were 92-43 over her four seasons. In her senior year, they won the Big Ten tournament over Maryland, and reached the NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight. She is the Big Ten’s all-time leading rebounder.

It was as an unpleasant surprise to her Iowa fans when Gustafson wasn’t picked in the 2019 WNBA draft until the second round. It was less pleasant to them when she was waived four times and bounced from the Dallas Wings to the Washington Mystics to the Phoenix Mercury.

“She gets cut. Doesn’t feel sorry for herself,” said Jensen. “She considers it part of the journey and still finds a way to be here in her sixth year.

“I can’t be any happier for her. I’m so proud of her.”

In WNBA offseasons, Gustafson has played for pro teams in Poland, Greece and England. That’s a lifetime and more for someone who came from a high school graduating class of 11 in Port Wing, Wis.

But there’s more. The official confirmation hadn’t come yet as of Friday, but Gustafson was very optimistic she’ll be playing for Spain in the Summer Olympics later this month.

Earlier this year, she went through the steps to earn a Spanish passport, in order to play for Spain's national team during this summer's Olympics. One player per team is granted an allowance to be a naturalized citizen.

“Basically they just reached out to my agent and just asked if I was interested,” Gustafson said. “I knew they had such a great reputation. They’re one of the top teams in Europe. In the entire world to be honest. So I was really excited.”

Gustafson averaged 14.3 points for Spain over three games in February as it advanced to the Olympics from a four-team qualifying tourney in Hungary.

If Spain advances out of pool play, it could play the United States at some point. Which would mean facing four of her Las Vegas teammates.

“We’ll probably potentially run into them, which would be so fun.,” Gustafson said with a laugh. “And I obviously know more than just the Aces teammates. My Phoenix teammates were Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner. So it would be fun.

“If someone had told me I’d be in the Olympics when I was in Port Wing, I wouldn’t have believed you.”

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