Jul 3, 2008

The Cult of Candice

Former Stanford Star making fans everywhere she goes

By Ann Killion / Bay Area News Group

The coach of the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx sighed audibly over the phone when asked about his rookie star, Candice Wiggins.

"She's a gem, isn't she?'' Don Zierden said.

Anyone who saw Wiggins at Stanford knew she was a gem. Not only a star player but also an impressive young woman.

They first knew it in San Diego, Wiggins' hometown. Then we learned it in the Bay Area. Last April, when she led Stanford to the Final Four in Tampa, Wiggins was discovered by the national media, who were swiftly engaged by Wiggins' infectious enthusiasm and her joy at finally making her sport's biggest stage.

And now, two months into her professional career, Wiggins is converting a whole new audience into the Cult of Candice.

"Professional basketball is a big adjustment,'' Wiggins, 21, said recently, speaking by phone from the boarding gate at the Minneapolis airport. "I'm getting used to it.''

Apparently. The rookie sensation is averaging 17.3 points per game, seventh in the league and tops among rookies (the other Candace, Parker, the No. 1 draft pick of the Los Angeles Sparks is averaging 17.1 points while also averaging four more minutes per game). Wiggins is ninth in the league in assists.

The only thing that seems oddly unfamiliar about her statistical line is games started: Wiggins, the four-year starter for Tara VanDerveer, hasn't started a single game.

"In the pro game, it's not so much how you start as how you finish,'' Zierden said. "For a rookie in the league, it's a bit of an adjustment. I felt it was better to bring her off the bench two or three minutes into the game.''

Wiggins has embraced her role and has tried to provide the same things she looked for from her Stanford bench.

"You need that spark, that energy,'' she said. "That's how I am. I try to bring a lot of energy to the team.''

Whatever she's doing, it's working. The Lynx earned the third pick of the draft last April, coming off back-to-back 10-24 seasons. Though loaded up with guards - led by former LSU star Seimone Augustus - the team bucked expectations and chose Wiggins.

"If I had a nickel for every person who grabbed me and said we needed a post player, I'd have something to spend,'' Zierden said. "But we were attracted to Candice, to just how talented she is. Obviously our need was upfront, but we're not just one player away from the championship level. So we took Candice.''

The Lynx also took Tennessee forward Nicky Anosike, whose Volunteers humbled Stanford in the championship game, and Connecticut forward Charde Houston, whose team lost to the Cardinal in the national semifinal. Wiggins said the rookies don't dwell on their collegiate rivalries now that they're on the same team.

The revamped Lynx jumped out to a 5-0 start. They've come back to reality and are now 8-8, surpassing expectations but still notching too many losses for their rookie guard to digest easily.

"That's a big change: when we lost at Stanford, it was a funeral,'' Wiggins said. "It was such a big deal. Here we move on. You can't think about yesterday. You just keep going.''

Wiggins had a really big Stanford loss to mourn, the 64-48 destruction of the Cardinal in the title game. But Wiggins - who calls being at the Final Four the best experience in her life - moved on quickly. She was drafted the next morning, headed to a USA Basketball camp the next weekend, then to Beijing for a tournament. Then it was time to launch her new life in Minneapolis, where she lives in a downtown apartment.

She returned to the Bay Area earlier this month to participate in graduation from Stanford and to hear Oprah Winfrey's commencement speech about giving back and embracing opportunity.

Wiggins is already putting those lessons to work. She is becoming a community presence, recently announcing a partnership with "Until There's a Cure,'' the organization dedicated to eradicating HIV/AIDS. The cause is close to her heart, as her father Alan - the former San Diego Padres infielder - died of AIDS-related illness when Wiggins was 3.

"She's doing things to be the face of the team,'' Zierden said. "Seimone is more laidback, but Candice doesn't mind being in that role.''

Augustus will be on the U.S. Olympic Team, as will Parker and Sylvia Fowles, the two players drafted ahead of Wiggins. The final three roster spots will be announced Tuesday. Though Wiggins is considered a long shot to make the team, because of her position and relative lack of international experience, it's not out of the question. Her smooth adjustment to the professional level has to have opened some eyes. If not in Beijing, bet on Wiggins being a future Olympian.

"If not this time, the next time,'' Zierden said.

Zierden is starting to sound suspiciously like VanDerveer.

"Candice,'' he said, "is a joy to have.''

The Cult of Candice is growing.