Ex-Husker Page happy with WNBA gig
Just once, Danielle Page would like to test her luck on a slot machine in the Mohegan Sun Casino located just outside the arena where she and her Connecticut Sun teammates play home games.
But since the Mohegan Tribe owns the team, she’s considered an employee of the casino, and it’s against the rules for employees to gamble while on the premises.
Other than that, the former Husker thinks life in the WNBA is like, well, a huge jackpot.
“I had an offer to coach my old AAU team, so I probably would have done that,” the 6-foot-2 rookie forward said when asked what she’d be doing had she not overcome long odds to make the Sun. “Probably would have put on 10 pounds and been out of shape.”
The Monument, Colo., native averaged 12 points and 6.5 rebounds to help Nebraska advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
After receiving All-Big 12 honorable mention, Page was invited to the Suns’ training camp in Uncasville, Conn.
She showed enough potential to survive numerous cuts and make the opening-day roster. On May 17, Page became only the third ex-Husker to play in a regular-season WNBA game (Anna DeForge is still with Minnesota, and Nicole Kubik had a stint in the league).
Page got her second taste of game action one week later, but since then has been inactive. WNBA teams are allowed to carry 13 players, but can activate only 11 for each game.
So Page practices, travels with the team and watches games from the bench wearing street clothes.
All things considered, it’s a near-perfect gig.
“I’m farther than I thought I would go,” Page said. “I didn’t expect to make the team, which is kind of why I’m not really frustrated with the situation. I’m perfectly happy going to practice with these girls. I think it’s making me better.”
The Sun, led by former Omaha Racers coach Mike Thibault, must like her potential. Late last month, they cut their roster to 12 by waiving second-year player Kameisha Hairston. WNBA teams must carry 11 on the roster, but Page has reached a point where if she got cut she’d receive the full value of her contract.
Sun assistant Scott Hawk said many college players need a couple of years to adapt to the WNBA’s demands, but that Page has taken the first step.
“She took advantage of the opportunity,” said Hawk, a Nebraska-Omaha graduate who coached at Bellevue West before joining the Sun. “She freed her mind up and was aggressive, and came in to win a job.”
Connecticut has a 13-9 record, good for second place in the seven-team Eastern Conference. The Sun have 12 games left before the playoffs start in September.
After the season, Page will head overseas to play professionally, then hopes to get another opportunity with the Sun, who drew a crowd of 8,244 for their home game against the New York Liberty on Tuesday.
“They brought me in here because they saw the talents that I had, (but) I was like, ‘Oh, they’re going to put me up in a casino, pay for all my meals, this’ll be nice. I’ll stay in shape and see how the big girls do it.’
“(After a preseason practice) Coach ‘T’ sat me down and was like ‘Danielle, we like what you’re doing, we’re going to keep you.’ ... It’s pretty sweet.”
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.
But since the Mohegan Tribe owns the team, she’s considered an employee of the casino, and it’s against the rules for employees to gamble while on the premises.
Other than that, the former Husker thinks life in the WNBA is like, well, a huge jackpot.
“I had an offer to coach my old AAU team, so I probably would have done that,” the 6-foot-2 rookie forward said when asked what she’d be doing had she not overcome long odds to make the Sun. “Probably would have put on 10 pounds and been out of shape.”
The Monument, Colo., native averaged 12 points and 6.5 rebounds to help Nebraska advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
After receiving All-Big 12 honorable mention, Page was invited to the Suns’ training camp in Uncasville, Conn.
She showed enough potential to survive numerous cuts and make the opening-day roster. On May 17, Page became only the third ex-Husker to play in a regular-season WNBA game (Anna DeForge is still with Minnesota, and Nicole Kubik had a stint in the league).
Page got her second taste of game action one week later, but since then has been inactive. WNBA teams are allowed to carry 13 players, but can activate only 11 for each game.
So Page practices, travels with the team and watches games from the bench wearing street clothes.
All things considered, it’s a near-perfect gig.
“I’m farther than I thought I would go,” Page said. “I didn’t expect to make the team, which is kind of why I’m not really frustrated with the situation. I’m perfectly happy going to practice with these girls. I think it’s making me better.”
The Sun, led by former Omaha Racers coach Mike Thibault, must like her potential. Late last month, they cut their roster to 12 by waiving second-year player Kameisha Hairston. WNBA teams must carry 11 on the roster, but Page has reached a point where if she got cut she’d receive the full value of her contract.
Sun assistant Scott Hawk said many college players need a couple of years to adapt to the WNBA’s demands, but that Page has taken the first step.
“She took advantage of the opportunity,” said Hawk, a Nebraska-Omaha graduate who coached at Bellevue West before joining the Sun. “She freed her mind up and was aggressive, and came in to win a job.”
Connecticut has a 13-9 record, good for second place in the seven-team Eastern Conference. The Sun have 12 games left before the playoffs start in September.
After the season, Page will head overseas to play professionally, then hopes to get another opportunity with the Sun, who drew a crowd of 8,244 for their home game against the New York Liberty on Tuesday.
“They brought me in here because they saw the talents that I had, (but) I was like, ‘Oh, they’re going to put me up in a casino, pay for all my meals, this’ll be nice. I’ll stay in shape and see how the big girls do it.’
“(After a preseason practice) Coach ‘T’ sat me down and was like ‘Danielle, we like what you’re doing, we’re going to keep you.’ ... It’s pretty sweet.”
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.
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