If you're a Minnesota basketball fan, here's what you should have been thinking during Saturday's Big Ten women's basketball tournament semifinals:
- For years, the Gophers women's basketball program bragged about who was about to arrive. It was doomed by those who left.
Had Lindsay Whalen been able to keep two of her defections from last offseason in the program, she would probably still have her job.
Sara Scalia chose to be a role player on a great Indiana team instead of the leader of a young Gophers team. Kadi Sissoko has blossomed with a good USC team.
Whalen's last team struggled with turnovers, a lack of experience and three-point shooting. Scalia and Sissoko would have solved many of their problems.
Saturday, Scalia scored 15 points while making four of her eight three-point shots. She also had five rebounds, an assist and a block.
Scalia said she hasn't spoken to Whalen since she left the program, but that "I enjoyed my three years under her.''
- The best coach the Gophers program has hired in the 35 years, Brenda Frese, coached Maryland in the Big Ten conference tourney semifinals on Saturday. Had she stayed, Minnesota could have become the power that Maryland has become under her.
- The best of the Big Ten was on display on Saturday — four teams ranked in the top 14 in the country dueling.
If you were lamenting Whalen's departure, you could have distracted yourself on Saturday by watching another player who could become a prominent Lynx guard.
The Lynx hold the second pick in the 2023 WNBA draft. They have dire needs at point guard and center.