The Tribune

WITH training camp well underway, Waltiea Rolle is excited about finally joining the Minnesota Lynx in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

After travelling for some 17 hours from Haskovo, Bulgaria, she arrived in Minnesota late in the evening on April 26 to begin what she has dubbed “a great time” in her life.

Now that she has arrived in Minnesota, Rolle said that she is prepared to seize the opportunity. “I am grateful to be here because lots of women would only wish for this opportunity, now I am just going to make the most of it,” she said.

Rolle is looking forward to joining the team and making an impact with an already talented group of ladies. She made the decision last year to delay her start, to work towards her studies and to play overseas.

After she was drafted in the third round as the 36th overall selection, which she described as a surreal moment, Rolle has developed her skills and said that the experience in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria has been extremely beneficial to her.

She continues to work on becoming a dominant player in the paint on both ends of the floor, with an emphasis on protecting the front court.

Although coming to the Lynx requires a great deal of mental and physical toughness, she is confident about her game and has what it takes. “I know I can fit in and contribute,” Rolle said. “The team veterans like Maya Moore have been helpful, telling us rookies what to do.”

Many of the other veterans have not arrived at training camp due to commitments overseas which has presented a great opportunity for the rookies to get in additional practice and playing time, which is usually not a common thing.

Rolle describes herself as a pure defender who can rebound and block shots, which are both her strengths. However, she also knows playing for the current WNBA Champions will require more to her game, but she appears ready for the challenge.

Rolle finished her season with Haskovo a bit disappointed, when they failed to make the finals in a 3-1 series loss to Dunave, the No.1 seeded team in the Bulgarian League.

In the final game of the series, Rolle finished the game with 24 points, 12 rebounds, six blocks in the 64-60 loss.

Haskovo claimed the bronze medal for the season with a 67-47 win over Neftochimic. She finished with 23 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots in her season finale.

Rolle had a remarkable season with only 21 games played in the NBL League, yet still claimed the season’s most valuable player award, as well as the Bulgarian Cup. Her season averages included 22.9 points, 13.1 rebounds, 2.1 block shots, 2.0 assists and 0.8 steals.

When asked about her time in Bulgaria, Rolle said: “I loved my time in Bulgaria and the people there were very nice. It was good for me that we had a no nonsense coach in coach Elena and it made a difference in my game.”

She noted that one of the highlights of her time there was doing a TV interview with the Bulgarian National TV channel for her success on the court.

The first preseason game is set for 7pm May 5 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where they are scheduled to face off with the Australian national team.

The following game is slated to be played against the Phoenix Mercury 6:30pm May 9 in Orlando, Florida, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

And Rolle will make her regular season debut on the road against the Washington Mystics 7pm May 16 at the Verizon Centre in Washington, DC.