Three former Notre Dame women’s basketball players earn All-WNBL honors
Notre Dame women’s basketball is well-represented in the land down under.
On Monday, three former Irish players made the All-Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) team, which is the eight-team Australian league; Jackie Young, Marina Mabrey and Lindsay Allen earned recognition. Young is a first teamer.
The two teams are chosen by coaches and team captains at the end of the season from a list of 20 women who received MVP votes during the regular season. They cannot select members of their own team.
Here is a bit more about each of the three former Irish standouts’ seasons.
Young — Perth Lynx
The Lynx began their season a month late due to travel restrictions, but it did not stop Young from terrorizing opponents once they got started. The 6-0 guard was one of five players to be named to the first team after notching 18.1 points per game for Perth. She led the team with a total of 326 points over 18 contests.
Young is a former No. 1 overall WNBA Draft selection by the Las Vegas Aces, and she remains with the team.
Mabrey — Perth Lynx
Young is lucky enough to have her former college teammate, Mabrey, with her in Perth. As she was at Notre Dame, Mabrey remains a three-point specialist. She attempted 92 threes in 14 contests and finished with a 33.7 percent success rate. In total, Mabrey averaged 18.8 points per game, which led the Lynx.
When she returns to the United States, the New Jersey native is currently with the Dallas Wings.
PROMOTION: Sign up for just $1 for your first year at Blue & Gold
Allen — Melbourne Boomers
The 5-8 guard averaged 13.5 points per game (fourth in the league) this season over a team-leading 20 contests in her third season with the Boomers. Allen led the team from the free throw line amongst players with at least 10 free throw attempts, sinking 88.5 percent of her shots.
Teammate Cayla George called Allen “one of the best point guards I’ve ever played with.”
Allen plays for the Indiana Fever in the WNBA.
More about the WNBL
The WNBL is composed of eight teams and was founded in 1981.
The Australian organization runs during the WNBA offseason — they play in the summer — allowing several notable WNBA stars to head aboard for a few months each year. The WNBL regular season starts in October and runs through the middle of February. Four of the eight teams make postseason play, and a three-game series is used to determine the ultimate champion.
Both the Lynx and the Boomers are currently in the middle of said three-game series, which they call The Grand Final. Perth took the opening matchup 98-71 behind 21 points from Young and 20 points from Mabrey. Game 2 is Wednesday night.
The two former Irish players are looking to be part of the first Lynx title since 1992 and the first under their current name.
