Former UConn star Dangerfield is rookie of the year

Two straight years, two Minnesota Lynx players and former Huskies named W NBA rookie of the year.

After adazzling start to her professional career, UConn alum Crystal Danger field was named the league’s rookie of the year Thursday afternoon on ESP N’ s The Jump. She was the runaway pick, earning 44 of the 47 possible votes, with Chen ne dy Carter earning two and Satou Sabally one.

Dangerfield becomes the first second-round pick to take home the award after being drafted by Minnesota No. 16 overall in April, significantly lower than the previously lowest-drafted rookie to earn the honor( Tracy Reid, No. 7 overall, in 1998).

“It just means a lot. This draft class was great ,” Dangerfield said .“Hard work paid off. That’s what I’ve always tried to do, whether it be in college or here now, is just be consistent and conduct myself like a pro, putting up the numbers that my team needs me to do, making sure that they’re doing their jobs and helping my team win first and foremost.”

The Lynx guard follows in the footsteps of UConn and Minnesota teammate Napheesa Collier, last year’s rookie of the year recipient, and joins the likes of Husky greats Diana Taurasi (2004), Tina Charles (2010), Maya Moore (2011) and Breanna Stewart (2016) in earning the designation.

Other league award winners announced Thursday afternoon include MVP (A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas) and coach of the year (Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota).

Reeve initially did not see Dangerfield having an outsized role this summer, warning that multiple guards would likely see time ahead of her. As the Lynx waited on Odyssey Sims to join the bubble after giving birth to her son, Dangerfield was Minnesota’s only true point guard to start the season, but Reeve envisioned the team taking a point-guard-by-committee approach until Sims’ arrival.

That plan didn’t last for long. Dangerfield made an immediate impact in the first game of her pro career, coming off the bench and scoring 10 points to help lift the Lynx over the Connecticut Sun in the season opener. Then, with Lexie Brown sitting out the third game of the season with a concussion, Dangerfield earned her first-career start, becoming the first rookie to start at the point for the Lynx since Renee Montgomery in 2009.

Even upon Brown’s and Sims’ returns, Danger field has not relinquished her starting role and, in fact, helped spark Minnesota’s regular season successes: a 14-8 finish and four-seed going into the playoffs despite playing without future Hall-of-Famer Sylvia Fowles most of the summer. With a penchant for stepping up big in fourth quarters, Dangerfield finished the regular season as the team’s leading scorer (16.2 points per game on 47 percent shooting, both better marks than those from her senior year at UConn) and with the most 20+ point games of any Lynx player this summer.

Overall, Dangerfield was ranked 11th in the league in scoring and third in free throw percentage (92.2), as well as second in scoring, minutes (30.0) and assists (3.6 per game) among rookies.

Along with recognition, Danger field has earned $5,150 and a specially designed trophy by Tiffany & Co.

Dangerfield and the Lynx play their first playoff game Thursday at 7 p.m. (ESPN2), facing the Phoenix Mercury in a single-elimination matchup with the winner advancing to the semifinals.