First-year Lynx guard likes to pester the opposition

Sports Odds and Ends

Natisha’s Hiedeman’s nickname is “T-Spoon,” the same moniker of Hall-of-Famer and current Chicago Sky Head Coach Teresa Weatherspoon. “I literally had that nickname since I was like two [years old],” said the first-year Minnesota Lynx guard proudly.

A 2019 second-round pick out of Marquette by Minnesota, Hiedeman was a one-on-one draft night swap as she went to Connecticut, who signed her but waived her nearly a month later.  Atlanta later picked her up off waivers, but once again Hiedeman was waived about two weeks later. Connecticut brought back the guard, and Hiedeman finished her 2019 rookie campaign with the Sun. 

Hiedeman played for Connecticut for five seasons. Her starts increased each season from four in 2020, five in 2021, to a quantum leap of 31 in 2022, and all 40 contests last season. 

Minnesota traded Tiffany Mitchell and a 2024 second-round pick to Connecticut in January for Hiedeman, whose ironwoman playing streak for consecutive games is now over 140 contests.

Whether she starts or not, Hiedeman is a “pest” to opposing guards. She said she likes being seen as that “in a good way. It’s just like being that energy player,” explained the 5’8” guard.

She pointed out that her role whenever she’s on the court is “to be aggressive, take the right shots, make the right passes.” 

This past offseason, Hiedeman worked as a women’s assistant coach at Penn State. After her one year there she said she probably would not return to Happy Valley after the season proved so invaluable. 

“It definitely taught me a lot of stuff,” she recalled, “understanding everything from a coach’s perspective, a player’s perspective. And then just seeing the game all around as a whole.”

Despite her size, Hiedeman is equally adept at either guard position. Last season she hit a career-best 24 points against Atlanta, a team that signed her but she never played for. Two seasons ago, Hiedeman finished fifth in the league in three-point accuracy, a career-best 41 percent.

But she can set the table as well— thus far this season Hiedeman has posted a season-high five assists against Phoenix and recorded four assists against Los Angeles.

“I think my whole life I’ve always done a little bit of everything, especially growing up until I got to college,” stressed Hiedeman, who was a multi-sport athlete in high school in her Green Bay, Wis. hometown. 

“Once I got to the league I transitioned into more of the one, but definitely capable of playing both. I think it’s a good quality to have.” 

Unprecedented WNBA growth

WNBA officials last week announced that the league posted its best opening month in 26 years. It had the most-watched start of the season on all its broadcast platforms: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, ION, and NBA TV. 

Also, the most represented demographics in viewership: Black (67%) and Latino (96%) fans have grown 60% from last season. Merchandise sales are seeing a 236% increase. WNBA League Pass subscriptions more than tripled in the first two weeks of the season. And WNBA App monthly active users is up 613% from last season. 

“The WNBA continues to experience sustained growth as our league embraces this heightened momentum,” concluded WNBA Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison in a release statement.