University of Minnesota Athletics
Former Gophers to Begin WNBA Preseason
5/2/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The WNBA preseason begins Tuesday, with the regular season to tip off May 13. Three Golden Gophers have all but officially reclaimed their spots on 2017 rosters, while another signed a training camp contract.
Rachel Banham // Connecticut Sun // Second WNBA season
Rachel Banham opted to focus on full recovery from last summer's knee surgery, rather than playing overseas. Her rookie season, which begin with a 15-point debut, was shortened by injury to 15 games. Banham was selected No. 4 overall in the 2016 draft after earning All-America and Big Ten Player of the Year honors. On a team loaded with young talent, Banham and the Sun have an optimistic outlook for the 2017 season.
Shae Kelley // San Antonio Stars // Training camp contract
Shae Kelley, who was part of the Minnesota Lynx 2015 championship team, signed a training camp contract with the Stars in April. She appeared in eight games in the 2015 season after signing in late July. Kelley has been playing overseas the past few years, most recently with Bornova Becker in Turkey, averaging 22.3 points, 18.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per contest.
Lindsay Whalen // Minnesota Lynx // 14th WNBA season
Starting 32 games last season, veteran point guard Lindsay Whalen helped the Lynx make their sixth consecutive WNBA Finals appearance. Last season she averaged 9.8 points and 3.8 assists per game. Whalen averaged 13.1 points and 3.9 assists during the playoffs. Her career totals include 5,164 points, 1,677 rebounds and 2,159 assists.
Amanda Zahui B. // New York Liberty // Third WNBA season
Amanda Zahui B. is still in the playoffs during an illustrious European season. She was recently named the Russian League Forward of the Year, and received All-EuroLeague Honorable Mention from Eurobasket.com. For the New York Liberty last season, Zahui B. averaged 5.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game. She notched six games scoring in double figures, including a season-high 17 at Minnesota on June 29.
The WNBA has announced a number of games to be live streamed on Twitter. The league and ESPN have also announced a schedule of games on the ESPN family of networks. See below for a schedule of Twitter/ESPN2 games involving the three former Gophers who are locks for WNBA rosters.
| Twitter Live Stream Schedule (All times Central) | ||
| Tues., June 27 | CONNECTICUT SUN vs. L.A. Sparks | 5 p.m. |
| Wed., July 5 | CONNECTICUT SUN @ San Antonio Stars | 7 p.m. |
| Fri., July 14 | MINNESOTA LYNX @ Phoenix Mercury | 9 p.m. |
| Sun., July 30 | CONNECTICUT SUN vs. Indiana Fever | 2 p.m. |
| Tues., Aug. 8 | CONNECTICUT SUN vs. Seattle Storm | 6 p.m. |
| Wed., Aug. 23 | CONNECTICUT SUN vs. Dallas Wings | 6 p.m. |
| Fri., Aug. 25 | MINNESOTA LYNX @ San Antonio Stars | 7 p.m. |
| Wed., Aug. 30 | MINNESOTA LYNX @ Indiana Fever | 6 p.m. |
| Fri., Sept. 1 | CONNECTICUT SUN @ Phoenix Mercury | 9 p.m. |
| ESPN2 Schedule (All Times Central) | ||
| Thurs., May 18 | MINNESOTA LYNX @ NEW YORK LIBERTY | 6 p.m. |
| Tues., May 23 | CONNECTICUT SUN @ MINNESOTA LYNX | 7 p.m. |
| Tues., May 30 | NEW YORK LIBERTY vs. L.A. Sparks | 6 p.m. |
| Fri., June 23 | MINNESOTA LYNX vs. Washington Mystics | 7 p.m. |
| Thurs., June 29 | CONNECTICUT SUN vs. Seattle Storm | 7 p.m. |
| Thurs., July 6 | MINNESOTA LYNX vs. L.A. Sparks | 7 p.m. |
| Tues., July 25 | NEW YORK LIBERTY @ MINNESOTA LYNX | 7 p.m. |
| Thurs., Aug. 3 | MINNESOTA LYNX vs. Atlanta Dream | 7 p.m. |
| Sun., Aug. 27 | MINNESOTA LYNX @ L.A. Sparks | 6 p.m. |
