By LIAM TWOMEY
MINNESOTA Lynx supporters know how to get behind their team. After claiming the WNBA title, 2000 fans were waiting at the airport for the Lynx players to arrive home.
From there, a further 20,000 supporters lined the streets for a championship parade.
One of the players they turned out to see was Australian rising star and Point Cook local Rachel Jarry.
“It was amazing,” Jarry said of the championship celebrations.
“After the game in Atlanta we had a big party with all our friends and family and the next day we flew back.
“To have 20,000 people lining the streets, it is unbelievable the amount of support we get over there.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. The one thing you can compare it to here in Australia is the grand final parade for AFL. It is like that, there are so many people who come out to see you and the amount of joy that we bring to them, it is crazy.”
In what was her first year in the WNBA, Jarry played in 27 regular season matches for Minnesota and averaged a tick under seven minutes of court time per game.
Twice she was able to score into double figures with her 14 points against Seattle in August a standout.
Throughout the finals series, she had almost 10 minutes of court time and scored two points.
Jarry was rapt with her development over the season.
“I loved it,” Jarry said.
“I was a bit nervous the first few games but it is almost like a show. Especially for Minnesota, we get the best crowds. I think our lowest crowd for the year was about 10,000 so playing in front of that every night is amazing.
“Being a rookie over there is tough. It is definitely a veteran’s league. I was the youngest on my team by a fair way. For me it was a massive learning experience.
“When I did get on the court, I was really happy with how I went. To me it is just about building on that and using all my experiences to keep getting better.”
Her latest achievement continues what has been an amazing start to Jarry’s career, with the 21-year-old’s WNBA Championship joining her Olympic bronze medal in her trophy cabinet.
“The two (WNBA finals and Olympics) were probably similar crowds but then totally different in a way,” Jarry said.
“At the Olympics, every final is do-or-die so you have that added pressure.
“For me, playing for Australia is the most important thing in my career. The finals in the WNBA, there is a lot of pressure but it is also the best of five so you’ve always got that back up. We were so focused that we knew we could come out and win every game which we did.”
Since retuning home, there has been no rest for Jarry who helped her WNBL side, the Melbourne Boomers to a win last week.
As well as retuning to the WNBA next season, she also has one eye on next year’s World Championship, which take place in September.
