Carleton becoming a force on world stage for Canadian team in transition

Bridget Carleton was named to the ‘All-Star Five’ at last month’s FIBA World Cup, where she helped Canada finish fourth. Her role on the national team is growing, and eyes are already on the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Carleton averaged 14.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in five preliminary round games at last month’s FIBA World Cup in Sydney, Australia (Sept. 22-Oct. 1). (Photo: FIBA).

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The shots would fall. They always had.

For Bridget Carleton, however, they couldn’t start falling soon enough.

The 25-year-old London Ramblers alumna got off to a chilly start in her second FIBA World Cup as a member of Team Canada – shooting 4-20 from the floor in the first two games, including a 1-14 performance in the second game against France.

“That was rough,” she laughed. “In those first couple games, I didn’t play my best, but we still ended up winning both. That gave me a lot of confidence. I needed to just take a breath and remember that if I’m not having a good shooting day, my teammates are able to step up and win an important game. Over the next couple games, I figured it out. I got comfortable. I found my stroke. I knew the preparations I took would show – eventually.”

Last month, Team Canada re-established itself among the best in the world in the FIBA World Cup in Australia, considered the biggest non-Olympic tournament in the sport, right up until running into the Americans and host Australians in the final games. Canada finished fourth in the tourney, a solid place after the disappointment of the Tokyo Olympics where Canada entered as the No. 4 team in the world and was bounced in pool play.

“There are always a little bit of nerves when you head into a tourney like this, but they are mainly from excitement,” Carleton said of the team’s shot at redemption. “Playing at that level is always a little bit nerve-wracking because it only comes around every once in a while. But once the ball is tipped, you can just exhale. We’re just playing basketball at the end of the day, which we've done a million times, all of us.”

In the tourney, which ran from Sept. 22 to Oct. 1, Canada finished Group B play at 4-1, defeating Serbia (67-60), France (59-45), Japan (70-56), and Mali (88-65), and losing only to Australia (75-72). They downed Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals (79-60) before running into a couple of buzzsaws in their old foes the United States (83-43), in the semifinals, and host Australians (95-65) in the bronze-medal game.

Overall, the performance was energizing for Carleton and her teammates. It truly felt like a new era was dawning for the squad.

“There is a new sense of energy, excitement. Obviously, we were not happy with the Olympics,” she said. “But we have a great group of women who are always willing to show up, work hard, and put on the best show we can for our country.”

In January, Víctor Lapeña signed as head coach of Canada’s Senior Women’s National Team through the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. A native of Zaragoza, Spain, Lapeña, 46, has been a mainstay within the Spanish Basketball Federation, Federación Española de Baloncesto (FEB), since 2007.

Team Canada looked to Lapeña, the first non-Canadian to coach the squad, to reinvigorate a team many observers perceived as disorganized and disjointed. Early reviews from the court have been positive, so far.

“New coach. New energy. He brings that excitement to the gym every single day,” Carleton said. “Everyone individually felt like they knew what was expected of them. That really translated onto the court. We were just having fun, playing free. There was no pressure on us, so we just kind of wanted to go out there and do what we could do.”

In spite of her slow start, Carleton was a force in the group round, averaging 14.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in five games. Her top performance was a 27-point effort (which included going 7-8 from 3) against Mali.

In the elimination round, she continued her outstanding play, being named a top performer against the United States after leading the team in rebounds (5) and steals (2), while contributing 6 points, then followed that performance with 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists against Australia.

At tourney end, Carleton was named to the All-Star Five, the only Canadian to make the list of the World Cup’s top performers.

“It was fun being out there and competing at that level,” she said. “My teammates were all super excited for me making the All-Star Five. It’s something I never thought would happen. I think back to the 2018 World Cup. I was on the team, but I didn’t come off the bench very much. It is crazy to think how much I have evolved as a player with the national team in just four years. To go from not playing at all, to making the All Star Five at the World Cup, is pretty surreal, definitely a cool moment.”

Following the tourney, Canada dropped one spot to fifth in the FIBA World Ranking Women (based less on the squad’s performance and more on China’s five-spot leap in the rankings). The rankings are topped by the United States, followed by China, Australia, and Spain. Canada is one spot ahead of France.

“The medal rounds of our tourneys are always our goal. We want to consistently be in semifinal games. We’re right there,” Carleton said. “Obviously, the United States is a powerhouse, and they’re hard to stop, but anyone else, Nos. 2-10, it’s pretty evenly matched. We can consistently get there and be there at that level. That’s definitely our goal.”

At the pro level, the Minnesota Lynx guard/forward wrapped her fourth WNBA season in August with career highs in total points (156) and 3-pointers made (29). In the 2022 season, Carleton averaged 4.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. She notched double digits in scoring twice, tallying 11 points in a June 12 loss to Indiana and an Aug. 12 loss to Seattle.

A restricted free agent entering the 2023 season, she has evolved into one of the league’s brightest young stars, a key reserve for a team in transition. The Lynx (14-22) missed the playoffs this year, finishing 12 games back of the Las Vegas Aces in the Western Conference. Minnesota will be in the draft lottery for the first time in more than a decade.

In December 2021, Carleton signed a one-year qualifying offer that allows the Lynx exclusive negotiating rights with Carleton, keeping the door open for a longer-term extension. She remains unsigned with no firm plans to play overseas at the moment. Instead, she is enjoying some relaxation at home after a packed hoops schedule over the last year.

With the Paris Games less than two years out, Carleton is firmly entrenched among the young stars in the growing game in Canada.

“Every big tournament, you see a new generation of players that take a step forward. That’s cool. Every two years it seems a new generation is hitting their peak and becoming the faces of their national program. There’s a new wave right now all over the world. Talentwise, the game continues to grow, and it's fun to be a part of that.”