Sparking in the Offseason: Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton

Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton

 

 

 

Sparking in the Offseason: Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton

 

The second-year forward talks about enjoying her rookie season, playing in Greece and planting seeds in her future as a coach.

Everybody says Los Angeles is where all your dreams can come true. For many of you this is true, and for others, unfortunately not so much. But luckily for me, that’s exactly what happened.

My dreams came true once I was drafted to play for the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2009 WNBA draft. It was something out of a fairy tale. I was given the opportunity to not only play with WNBA icons in one of the greatest cities in the world, but also to be coached under an NBA legend. What more can one person ask for?

I learned so much from that Sparks team and had an unbelievable rookie season. We fell one game short of reaching the Championship round, and possibly of accomplishing our ultimate goal of winning a WNBA championship. Even though my time spent in LA was very busy, chaotic, and a lot of hard work, I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything in the world.

Once the season was over, it was time for me to make that leap across the pond to Athens, Greece. That is where I signed to play on a team called Esperides Ravenna. I really enjoyed my time there by sightseeing, shopping, and experiencing the Greek culture. I was on a good team, filled with great people. It was hard adjusting to such a completely different culture, but I was in great company there to help me face that challenge of adapting. I was in Greece for 2 1/2 months, before returning to the States for the holiday break. I had a great Christmas break by relaxing and spending time with my friends and family.

I also had the opportunity to come back to visit my alma mater, Purdue University, and watch a couple of their women’s basketball games. During that time I had heard that one of the coaches was taking a leave of absence for an unknown amount of time. Once I knew the team would be one coach short, I got the idea to approach the head coach about giving me the opportunity to help teach the young Purdue team. I knew I wanted to get into coaching in my future, so I figured what a great time and opportunity it would be for me to return to Purdue and begin my coaching career, as well as train for the WNBA 2010 season. Unfortunately, that meant I would have to leave Greece early, but I thought this was what was best for me, and my future.

I have learned so much and have been able to see basketball from a different perspective. It has been a little difficult adjusting from being a player to a coach, but having a coaching staff and players that really know and understand me helps with that transition. Not only am I learning a lot about the coaching world, but I am working really hard training for this upcoming WNBA season. I can hardly wait for this season to begin, especially because we have a bunch of new additions to the program. I’m so eager to get to know my new coaches and teammates. This should be an exciting season so come out and support the Sparks at our home opener in Staples Center, Friday May 28.