Bridget Carleton with Paul Allen - July 11, 2024

Minnesota Lynx Forward Bridget Carleton called into KFAN's 9 to Noon broadcast to chat with Paul Allen about the Lynx red-hot season, Olympic Basketball and MORE!!

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
This is a sharp shooting forward forthe Minnesota Lynx and went four for four
from three Tuesday night in the victoryagainst the Sparks. She's a Chatham,
Ontario native who was the Big twelvePlayer of the Year in twenty nineteen at
Iowa State Ames Go Crazy. She'salso an Olympian, representing her native Canada
in the Paris Olympics. And hereshe is, Bridget Carlton. Good to

(00:23):
meet you, Bridget. I'm PaulAllen. How are you hi? Thanks
for having me. I'm good.How are you? No problem? And
I appreciate you doing this at nineforty three Seattle time with a game tomorrow
night. We really appreciate that.A fan of your game. How long
did you live in Chatham? Igrew up there so all up until I

(00:44):
went away to Iowa State my wholeYeah, I grew up there and my
family's will from there, so Iget to spend time back there when I
have some time off. Okay,but yeah, that's their frame. Did
you ever go to Park's Blueberries andpick blueberries for like your own blue berry
pie? Because I saw that onlineyesterday and searching Chatham attractions and that Parks

(01:04):
blueberry thing look pretty cool. Yes, I have done that. It's like
a difficult thing to do if you'refrom Shatham. It's very common. I
think everyone's done that being from Shathams. But yeah, it's an incredible blueberryfield
and they have really good blueberries.Yes, have you settled into Seattle yet
and like ventured over to Pike Placefish Market? Not yet. We got

(01:27):
in here last night when I wasas a team, but just recovering,
resting and getting ready for the gametomorrow. I've known your coach for a
decade and change, so when Isay this, it comes lovingly okay,
because I do have a way.You can spook your coach today if you
want. Do you have any interest? I'm kind of interested. She Cheryl

(01:52):
likes to go to Lake Union andwatch the planes hydroplane in and out as
she eats, and watch his film. So that sounds like a lot of
fun. But she has no ideathat you would know that. So you
could sneak up on her and startleher and catch her off guard if you
wanted. But see, I don'twant you to do that and have your

(02:13):
minutes cup because you made her mad. Yeah yeah, yeah, I pick
and choose. That's true. Yeah, but that's so she's probably at Lake
Union right now. She's just obsessedwith watching these planes hydro plane in,
hydro plane out. I think it'skind of cool, man. And yeah,
anytime, you know, on thegrind of a season, practices trying

(02:35):
to beat teams. You guys gota really good team. You got a
bunch of games this week. Anytimeyou can find mental relaxation that that's that's
probably key, right, Yeah,absolutely, anytime you get some time and
space to think of what something otherthan basketball, you got to kind of
take advantage of it because we arefull go a lot of the time,
playing so many games and it's ashort amount of time and you know,

(02:57):
always being together and yeah, sowhen we do a fine time to you
know, relax and enjoy just enjoySeattle. When we have time like we
did last night at dinner at theteam, we take advantage of that.
You love that right corner, don'tyou. I mean it's like your second
home. Yeah, yeah, it'spretty comfortable there. I do like that
right corner right wing too. Ilike the whole side of the floor that

(03:21):
in that commissioner's cup, that thatCommissioner's Game that that big right corner three
you hit very late, is thatone of the bigger shots you've hit in
your pro career? Say the game? For sure? Uh, I kind
of put them away. That wasa big shot. We could like breathe
a little, had some breathing room. Yeah, for sure. So so

(03:43):
Cheryl Cheryl says, you are veryconsistent and play and you play the right
way basically so much that she begsyou to take a bad shot just to
see what it looks like. Whatshe told me that on the radio yesterday,
And I'm like, what, so, so I'll ask you what does
all that mean? Yeah, Imean I take that as a great compliment.

(04:04):
I just like playing basketball the rightway and moving the ball and getting
the best shot for the team,whatever that looks like, and just making
the right basketball play. That's kindof what I hang my hat on and
that's why I made such a greatprofessional career so far. But sometimes in
basketball you do have to take badshots and you got to kind of be
aggressive and you know, make somethingout of nothing, and sometimes I need

(04:29):
to put myself in those situations.Yeah, I don't take many bad shots,
but Cheryl definitely had the confident inme to do that. It's necessary,
Bridget Carlton. The Minnesota lengths.They hook Seattle tomorrow night. The
game's on k F a M.And then they get Indiana this weekend.
Here. How popular? Let mebe the one millionth person to ask you
this, Bridget, how popular isbasketball in Canada? And did you ever

(04:53):
consider hockey? Yes? I did. I actually played hockey and basketball and
it was in the same he thenobviously during the winter, and I would
miss my basketball games for hockey games. Wow, I love hockey. Yeah,
that's the typical Canadian thing to do. I had so much fun playing
hockey, but I was definitely betterat basketball, so that was a little

(05:13):
more fun and I made a careerof it, so obviously I made the
right decision. But yeah, Ilove hockey. Were you a blue liner?
I was defenseman? Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's and and and
I would imagine you know, ifyou went to pinching, you probably never
took a bad shot, right,just like the w n B A.
Yes, yes, also true.Also true coaches like Bridget just throw it

(05:34):
up there one time just to seewhat happened. I might get a rebound.
Who knows how how good is yourCanadian Olympic squad? We're good.
We're ranked fifth in the world rightnow. We were ranked fourth a couple
of years ago, so we're upthere. There's so many good teams around
the world, and uh, competingfor a medal is is so so hard.

(05:55):
But that's our goldest Olympics. Wehave a really good balance of veterans
and newcomers and hopefully we can putit together and do some damage in Paris.
The US team is going to besuper tough to beat, right is
that like common knowledge? Yeah,I mean they're they're the best in the
world. They've been the best inthe world for a really long time,

(06:15):
so yeah, they're definitely the teamto beat. And that's putting it mildly.
So like when when you when Canadaor whomever comes into a situation like
this and you know there's a targetof which to shoot that that is very
very very good every single Olympics.Like what's the mindset? You know what
I mean? Yeah? I thinkI mean there's no pressure, you know,
when you're playing a team like thatthat's one however, many gold medals

(06:36):
in a row, there's no pressure, so you kind of just play free
and make things as difficult as possible. And yeah, I mean you're there
for a reason. You're at theOlympics for a reason, So you know,
playing against the best in every country, it's it's a lot of fun
and you take a lot of pridein that playing for your country. So
yeah, just kind of doing whatyou can do, making specifficult as possible,

(06:57):
and you never know what can happen, you know, That's what's fun
about sports. Rigid eliminating ever yourteam, eliminating everybody on your team.
Is is Asia Wilson the best overallplayer in the w NBA, man,
I think so, she's playing incrediblyright now, Like she's playing MVP numbers.
She's so hard to guard. Yeah, I mean she's incredible. She's

(07:21):
like one of the best in theworld for a reason. Every time we
go up against her, it's impossibleto guard her. We have to guard
her as a team. Not oneperson can stop her. And then she's
also a really great defender too.I think, yeah, she's definitely one
of the best in the world rightnow and definitely putting up MVP numbers as
well. But I will say,you know, we have our own MVP
on our team, but it isdefinitely not there as well, right and

(07:44):
fee as you would call her NafisaCollier, you know with this foot as
Cheryl made a sound yesterday like she'llbe back relatively soon, which which is
definitely good news. Now Indiana Feverhere Sunday as an AIM's alum. What
do you think of the former HawkCaitlin Clark. She's incredible how she first

(08:05):
of all, her college career wasoutstanding, obviously, and you know all
the new fans she brought to thegame, and how she's been able to
handle the startom in New Territory kindof for women's basketball. It's incredible to
watch and I'm really excited for hersuccess at this level and it'll be it'll
be fun to play here on Sunday. Yeah, obviously, you know don't
love the Hawk guys because I ama cyclone, but it has been incredible

(08:28):
to watch her and see her growand it'll be fun to continue to watch
that her grow into her professional career. Well, bridget and by the way,
via Twitter, if you're interested infollowing her as nine to Noon does
at Bridge Carlton at Bridge Carleton,Well, it ties into what we were
talking about five minutes ago, andclosing here with what Cheryl said, I

(08:48):
mean, why don't you pull upfrom the logo and shoot threes? I
mean you you know you'd hit some, and Cheryl probably wouldn't be mad if
you missed three in a row.Sure, maybe maybe, you know,
maybe Sunday, forget that, Iwant to watch you Friday just pull up
from the logo one time, justto see if Cheryl's a lady of her
word. You know what I mean. You can't get mad on her.

(09:09):
You set on radio, you wouldn't. That'd be super sweet. All right,
Okay, we'll see, we'll see. It's up, Bridget, it's
up. It's my pleasure meeting you. And safe travels to Paris and stay
healthy with the games coming up Seattlein Indiana and everything you're up. You're
a treat to watch and you guyshave a very good team and and I
look forward to meeting you when Icome to one of the games. So

(09:30):
good luck against Seattle and the congratson that honor of playing in the Olympics.
Thank you, thank you so much. It was great talking to you.
Yep, see you letter, BridgetCarlton she a sharpshooter for Cheryl Reeves,
a w NBA links