MINNEAPOLIS — Six years into her WNBA career, former Iowa State Cyclone Bridget Carleton is having her best season yet.
Carleton worked her way into the Minnesota Lynx starting lineup and is averaging a career high nine points per game while shooting 43 percent from three. While the WNBA season is on hold for the Olympics, Carleton is competing for her home country of Canada for the second time.
"I think it was just my motivation, how good I wanted to be," said Carleton. "You know, I wanted to be at the Olympics, playing for team Canada. I wanted to be the best player I could be for the national team. I wanted to be in the W. So, a combination of all those things and sticking to it and just day by day being the best player I could be."
When Carleton entered her freshman year at Iowa State, she didn't believe becoming a pro or an Olympian was even possible.
But Cyclone head coach Bill Fennelly and his staff recognized her potential and eventually she recognized it too.
"You know, my first year at Iowa state, I was a much different player four years later, a much different person," said Carleton. "I grew into who I was. They pushed me to become the best player I could. I was put in a lot of tough situations on the court and had to lead my team. I was in a position where I was allowed to make mistakes. I played a lot of minutes as a freshman and throughout my four years. So, they believed in me. They trusted me and they saw a future in me and the big goals I had, and they were really supportive of that. So, I'm really thankful for them and that journey and I wouldn't be here without them."
Despite ending her college career as one of the best players in program history with several awards and honors on her resume, finding her way in the league took some time. After a brief stint with Connecticut in the beginning of her career, Carleton was picked up by Minnesota. Just like in college, she had to grow into the player she knew she could be.
"Probably year three of four in the league was the first time I really like solidified my spot and felt confident in my role as a professional," said Carleton. "I think you really have to hang your hat on some things when you get to this level, and I was able to find that as a third year in the league and it's been helpful being with the same franchise for so long that believes in me, coaches that believe in me."
It's extremely difficult to make a WNBA roster and maintain a spot on it. But Carleton has been able to do that while become a key contributor for her team and that's what she's most proud of.
"I think, you know, my longevity so far in the league, I've been really proud of that and being a two-time Olympian is pretty cool," said Carleton. "Again, being on team Canada has been my number one priority and representing my country the best I can so being able to go to the Olympics for the second time this summer is really exciting."
The Canadian women's national team has never reached the podium at the Olympics. But Carleton is hoping they'll come home with some hardware this time around.