Janelle McCarville Offers Subtle Difference To Lynx Lineup
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The Minnesota Lynx hope they are starting to peak.
Playing well as team has to do with knowing each other well, and Janelle McCarville has shown she knows her teammates strengths and how to highlight them.
Now in her second season and second time through Minnesota, she can be the subtle difference the Lynx need to stay ahead.
She may not be an all-star, but she is the player every team needs.
That's why it works for the Lynx and Janell McCarville.
"I mean I try to facilitate as much as possible. Getting people the ball. We got great shooters, great players on the perimeter. I'm just trying to do my part. Getting my, roughly, eight to 10 points a game, six to eight rebounds, and play defense," McCarville said.
It is because she is surrounded by great players and she understands her role that her time on the Lynx has been so successful.
"The way that we play here, how important post players are to the offense, has completely revitalized her game. She was a great player in New York, she's been a great player her entire WNBA career, and of course her college career was excellent," coach Jim Peterson said.
Some of that started back in the day, when she and Lindsay Whalen put Gopher women's basketball on the map.
Some of it is because she loves the game and loves the team.
"J-Mac is kind of like our point guard in the post. She's a facilitator for us, and we're looking for her to score a little bit more this year. And she's been doing a great job with that," forward Maya Moore said.
And much of it has to do with the path of a veteran who now understands and appreciates where she is.
"As the season went on I just got more and more comfortable. Coach talked to me after games and told me what I was doing wasn't quite enough. She wanted more out of me. We conversated about it and after that I think I steadily inclined all year," McCarville said.
Now the goal is another WNBA title.
She believes it can happen, because the girl who grew up in Wisconsin has found much success in Minnesota.
"'Cause you know, Minnesota is home away from home basically. I still claim Wisconsin, but Minnesota is a home away from home. Success is in Minnesota, home is in Wisconsin" McCarville said.
The Lynx will play the New York Liberty Sunday afternoon.