ALLEN TAKES HYPE ALL IN HER STRIDE
THE Melbourne Boomers’ WNBL championship hopes rest on her shoulders.
But boom recruit Lindsay Allen insists she is not feeling any extra pressure in her maiden season in Australia.
“I’ll just take it in my stride,” the Boomers’ point guard said ahead of tonight’s clash against the University of Canberra Capitals at Geelong Arena.
“I have great veterans around me who have been playing at this level for many years — Jenna O’Hea, Cayla George and so on, so I’m just leaning on them a little bit.
“But I’m also realising that we’ve got such a great team and no one has to feel that pressure every single game.”
Having already made a name for herself in the WNBA for New York Liberty and now Las Vegas Aces, the 23-year-old playmaker comes to Australia with big wraps. The Baltimore native turned heads for elite college side Notre Dame before crossing to Dynamo Moscow for the European season.
The 173cm star eventually landed a gig in the WNBA with Liberty but then found her way to Vegas. And now she’s finding her feet for the Boomers in the WNBL.
“I think they made contact with me in January or February about coming over,” Allen said of her move to Melbourne.
“I was finishing up my season in Russia in April and it was straight into the WNBA season. I started off in New York and then I went to Las Vegas for the summer.
“We finished up in mid-to-late August and then I had two weeks at home and came over here for pre-season.
“I always wanted to get over here at some point in my career. When that opportunity presented itself, I couldn’t turn it down. It was a great situation and I’d heard a lot of good things about the organisation, so I thought it was a great fit.”
Allen said the Boomers’ early exit last season opened the door for her to find a place on the roster.
“They were already looking ahead to next season,” Allen said. “In other leagues in Europe, their seasons weren’t finishing until April at the earliest, so they were the first to contact me and I thought it was a really great fit.
“They had good players coming back and good players coming in, so I accepted it.
“It’s been good so far. We have a great team, a good group of girls and we’re just glad that the season’s finally here.”
Despite a Round 1 loss to Bendigo, Allen is confident the Boomers have the talent to challenge for the title. “That’s the goal of everyone on this team, to win a championship,” she said.
“We know it’s going to be a process, we’re not going to be able to accomplish it overnight, but we’re looking forward to getting better every single day in practice and translating that over into games.”