Womhoops Guru

Mel Greenberg covered college and professional women’s basketball for the Philadelphia Inquirer, where he worked for 40 plus years. Greenberg pioneered national coverage of the game, including the original Top 25 women's college poll. His knowledge has earned him nicknames such as "The Guru" and "The Godfather," as well as induction into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Guru's WNBA Report: Former Penn State Star Maggie Lucas Learning the WNBA Ropes of a Rookie


Guru note: This is a sidebar on Penn State grad Maggie Lucas from the tourney at Disney.

By Kayla Goldman

ORLANDO, Fla. --
Narberth's Maggie Lucas, selected 21st overall in the 2014 WNBA draft last month, played two games for the Phoenix Mercury during the WNBA first-ever preseason tournament this past weekend at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex near the Walt Disney World Resort.

The former Penn State star from suburban Philadelphia was a four-time All-State selection at Germantown Academy and led the Lady Lions to an NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2014 as Big Ten Player of the Year.

Lucas is transitioning from her role as a collegiate top scorer to a key contributor off the bench for the Mercury.

“The biggest challenge is finding the rhythm and playing a different style,” said Lucas, who is a terrific three-point shooting ace. “My role has changed a lot from college to professional. The most important thing is that when I have opportunities to score I have to take them.”

Lucas is playing on a roster with seasoned veterans. She is enjoying the chance to learn from greats like guard Diana Taurasi, one of the all-time stars at Connecticut, while Brittney Griner, the top overall No. 1 pick a year ago out of Baylor, is also on the team.

Taurasi, who has played for 10 years in the WNBA, has plenty of advice for Lucas: “Diana told me to be aggressive and that the worst thing I could do is be timid.”

Lucas is earning the respect of her teammates as she develops into her role.

Candice Dupree, former Temple guard, is excited to play alongside Lucas.

“She has done a very good job. She can shoot light outs, and she’s adjusting really well,” said Dupree who grew up near here in the Sunshine State.

As Dupree reflects on her own rookie season, she elaborates about Lucas' debut in the WNBA: “The biggest advice I can give her in her rookie year is to play really hard. She needs to take everything in, learn from it, and be aggressive.”

Lucas, in her WNBA debut, had 13 points in the Mercury’s 72-64 loss to the defending league champion Minnesota Lynx on Friday.

The Lynx went on to beat Chicago on Sunday to take the initial trophy.

In her second game, a 75-60 loss to the Indiana Fever, Lucas tallied three points.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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