Rookie brings height, strength, youth to Lynx

Angela Pelzer understands why the Lynx coaches might worry about her daughter.

Her motherly advice is: Don't.

Quanitra Hollingsworth, the 6-5 rookie center the Lynx drafted ninth overall in April, is used to fitting in with older players.

Hollingsworth skipped fifth and sixth grade because school came so easy to her. She started high school in Chesapeake, Va., at age 11 and college at Virginia Commonwealth at 15.

She will be the youngest American-born player to play in a WNBA game -- 20 years, 203 days -- when the Lynx face Chicago in their season opener June 6 at Target Center.

Lynx coach Don Zierden said the development of "Q" could be a key to the team's success.

"We needed some help up front," said Zierden, whose team opened training camp Sunday. "We think we have it in her. [But] how fast does she mature?"

But it remains to be seen how she performs against wily WNBA veterans. "Mentally, is she strong enough to really get in there and battle?" asks Jennifer Gillom, an assistant coach who instructs post players.

"This is not the first time [Hollingsworth has] been in this situation," Pelzer said of the oldest of her three children. "She hit the floor at 16 to play college basketball. She was rookie of the year [in the Colonial Athletic Association] and broke all types of records."

Said Hollingsworth: "Age is nothing but a number to me. I don't let it limit me in any way."

Classmates and teammates often did not known her age unless she chose to tell them. Her height fooled them. Always tall, she grew 4 1/2 inches to 6-3 one summer in high school.

Beth Cunningham, the VCU coach, wanted to start Hollingsworth right away, at age 15, but her mother and stepfather insisted the Rams redshirt her.

Before leaving college, Hollingsworth also fulfilled a promise she made to her coach before she signing. As a senior, Hollingsworth led the Rams to their first NCAA tournament in school history.

The Lynx's history of success is almost as bleak as VCU's. In 10 seasons, the Lynx have reached the playoffs only twice, in 2003 and '04. Both times the Lynx were eliminated in the first round.

Hollingsworth said there are similarities -- "nobody really respects the Minnesota Lynx, and nobody really respected VCU in our conference" -- but she is not making any promises this time.

Except one: to dunk sometime.

"Coach Z picks on me," Hollingsworth said. "I don't like to do it, but the other day in warmups he said, 'I want you to dunk right now. I don't care what happens.'"

Only two players have dunked in WNBA history: Candace Parker and Lisa Leslie, both of the Los Angeles Sparks.

"It won't be in the home opener, but eventually I will dunk in a game," said Hollingsworth, who has a vertical jump of 32 1/2 inches.

Whether Hollingsworth dunks, her potential intrigues Zierden, who is trying to get the rookie to be more aggressive.

"She is 6-5, she is strong, she is athletic," he said. "She will be playing up by the rim, which we haven't had. And she is going to help us rebounding, one of our weaknesses."

Score, rebound, block shots. Hollingsworth said she can do whatever coaches want.