Return of the Prodigy

Six years ago, Lindsay Whalen made women's basketball in Minnesota relevant in the same manner that George Mikan did with the Lakers in the 1950s and Kevin Garnett did with the Timberwolves in the early 2000s.  She led the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers to the final four of the NCAA women's basketball tournament, set scoring records that have yet to be equaled, and became an inspiration for female players across the state.

Then Whalen went away.   In spite of the hometown Minnesota Lynx' best efforts, the Conneticut Sun chose Whelen in the WNBA draft, and there she has played ever since as one of the stars of that league.

Now Whalen is returning to Minnesota for the 2010 season.  The Lynx acquired her in a trade with the Sun for Renee Montgomery and the top pick in this year's draft.   Conneticut gives up the number two pick.

The Lynx already have a talented roster that includes Seimone Augustus and Candice Wiggins, but they haven't made the playoffs since 2004.  Having Whalen could improve their chances not only on the floor, but at the gate as well.  It seems people would rather be outdoors on a summer's night than to come inside the Target Center to watch women's professional basketball.

The WNBA, which is an offshoot of the National Basketball Association, has been having problems keeping things together.  The Houston Comets (winners of the first four league titles) and Sacramento Monarchs have folded.  The Detroit Shock are now based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Rosters have been trimmed from 13 to 11.  And some teams are selling advertising on their jerseys.

Unlike in the NBA, players don't get rich playing in the WNBA.  That's why they hightail it to Europe every winter not just to brush up on their skills, but to earn extra money playing in more lucrative leagues.  Whalen, for example, plays for a team in the Czech Republic.  Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Silver Stars represented Russia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics because she played for a professional team in Moscow.

The task now facing Lindsay Whelan, besides helping her new team to a place in the WNBA playoffs, is to make the Lynx relevant to sports fans in Minnesota.  If she does that, then she will have really accomplished something.