New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
WNBA Sun rookie Carleton impressing coaches
UNCASVILLE — The Washington Mystics had the early advantage in the showdown for first place in the WNBA standings when Connecticut Sun coach Curt Miller looked down his bench and threw his first curveball in the direction of the Sun’s Eastern Conference rivals.
Rookie Bridget Carleton, who didn’t play in first five games of the season, was the first reserve summoned into the game and was immediately asked to guard the red-hot Ariel Atkins. So was it Carleton’s familiarity with the fellow former Big 12 star that got Carleton her first playing time in the first half this season? No, Miller had another reason for calling the number of the second-round pick out of Iowa State.
“We wanted to reward her for some of the hard work she has put in,” Miller said.
Carleton caught the eyes of the Sun coaching staff with her versatility during a remarkable four-year run at Iowa State, but once she arrived in Connecticut it was something else that impressed some of the veterans on the Connecticut roster.
“She shows up early every day, she is usually one of the first people here,” said guard Layshia Clarendon, who leads all Connecticut Sun reserves in minutes played. “She is a really smart player and knows how to get into the right places, she is somebody we know we can put out there and trust to be in the right spots at the right time. There is also the floor spacing too because when she subs in for Strick [Shekinna Stricklen], we don’t lose any of that ability to knock down a 3. I think she is going to find some really good opportunities there and brings us a ton of size so she can switch onto people, can rebound and make plays. She has experience with the Canadian [national] team and is doing everything right, doing everything you want from rookies, she is not causing any problems.”
The 6-foot-1 Carleton is still looking for her first regular-season points, but that hasn’t changed the approach that got her a roster spot as she looks to carve out a role for the WNBA-leading Sun which hosts defending champion Seattle on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
“I am trying to do my best for the team,” Carleton said. “It is not all about me or what I can do, it is about my role and being the hardest worker I can be. I am doing whatever I can on the court, getting my shots up and doing whatever I can to help and get better.
“I just want them to have faith in me, have confidence in me and with my teammates the same thing so when I get that opportunity, I want to make the most of it two minutes, five minutes, 10 minutes I am just ready to do whatever to help the team and make the most of it.”
The Sun have relied heavily on their starters in the early part of the season and with good reason. The Sun have averaged 88 points and 71 points allowed per 40 minutes when all five starters are in the game with the numbers dropping to 73.6 points scored and 75.5 points allowed when at least one reserve in on the court.
Jonquel Jones, Alyssa Thomas and Courtney Williams average more than 30 minutes per game while Jasmine Thomas checking in at 29 minutes per contest. The last time multiple Sun starters averaged 30 minutes per game was in 2013 although Kara Lawson only played in nine games that season. The current minute allotment for the starters is similar to what happened in 2007 when Katie Douglas (33.3), Asjha Jones (31.4) and Lindsay Whalen (30.6) averaged more than 30 minutes per game while combining to start 98 games with Nykesha Sales averaged 29.3 minutes in 26 games. Sales, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Whalen and Douglas all averaged more than 30 minutes per game in 2005.
There will be some grueling stretches coming up when the starters minutes may need to be monitored including four games in four different states in a span of nine days later this month and playing six out of nine games on the road from Aug. 9-30. Opponents have more points off the bench in five of the seven games this season and it will be important for the bench to play well enough so the starters don’t get worn down.
The Washington game marked just the second time this season that the Sun had a better scoring margin when at least one reserve was on the court than when all five starters were playing.
“You can’t win with just five players on the court so it is important to have the bench players get in there, get some good minutes and especially with this season and how demanding it is, the travel is hard on the body so it is important,” Carleton said.
Time will tell if more early appearances are coming for Carleton especially with the jolt of confidence she gained by how quickly she was asked to check into the Washington game.
“She works hard, she comes to practice every day and works hard so to get in the game, get rewarded and have some fun , I think that probably has to be a blessing,” Clarendon said.