WNBA dream fulfilled for former Gopher Kenisha Bell

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Tuesday night at the WNBA Draft, a lifelong dream came true for a former Gopher.

“Once my name came across the screen, I was just like, this is unbelievable,” Kenisha Bell said.

Now, Bell’s pro career is off and running and she doesn’t have to go very far to begin.

The Lynx selected Bell in the third round of the draft and when Bell took the phone call from Cheryl Reeve, the emotions were almost too much to handle.

“She knew that I was super excited,” Bell said. “I didn’t have words. I was out of breath because I was screaming the whole night.”

Reeve said selecting Bell was no favor to former pupil Lindsay Whalen either. She believes in Bell’s talent and she made it known what she’d like to see from her at the next level.

“I told Lindsay I’m going to ask her to shoot more from the outside as opposed to always driving,” Reeve said. “It’s hard in our league when you get in there so I’m excited to see what Kenisha can do.”

“I feel like I adjust well and I learn well and I’m always open to new ideas and I’m coachable, so just being able to use that to my advantage and always listening to things, I feel like I can catch onto it pretty fast,” Bell said.

As a youth, the game captured her attention and her heart. Playing in the WNBA is what she always dreamed of, but now it’s a reality and she says Wednesday night was the greatest moment of her basketball career.

“I didn’t know how to play back then, I just always knew this was a girl’s sport, it’s competitive and it looked fun and when I saw my name come across the board, I was so happy,” Bell said.

Yet another member of the Gophers family is trying to catch on here with the Minnesota Lynx and Bell will get her first chance to impress the coaching staff when training camp begins May 5.