Sideline Supporter: Senior forward doesn’t count her minutes, she makes her minutes count
Chelsea Lynn doesn’t need to play during games to make an impact for the Central Michigan women’s basketball team.
It’s more of what Lynn does leading up to games that makes her a difference maker for the Chippewas.
The Detroit native and Martin Luther King High School alumna sees her role as a motivator for players on the court and a leader on the practice floor. Sitting on the bench doesn’t bother Lynn.
“If I’m not playing, I’m encouraging,” Lynn said. “I’m on the scout team getting (my teammates) better. By me not playing, it’s helping other people get better. Then it’s other people’s time to shine.”
She has two points, three steals and 13 rebounds in 57 minutes played this season. Although the lights aren’t on the senior forward during game night, her contributions don’t go unnoticed by her teammates and coaches.
“On this team, we establish roles,” said junior forward Jewel Cotton. “Coach (Guevara) always says, ‘Do not count your minutes, make your minutes count.’ Regardless if she sees 30 minutes or three minutes, she makes them count — especially in practice. She makes us better.”
Lynn’s Role
Lynn averaged a double-double and led MLK to a city championship during her final season with the Crusaders. She choose to play for CMU over several other Division I programs.
When the minutes didn’t increase as her career progressed as a Chippewa, Lynn found a different way to help the team.
“It’s never been like a set, ‘I’m not going to play,’ (mindset),” Lynn said. “Because then I would stop working hard. You go into practice and what happens at that game, happens at that game.”
With only four upperclassmen and a bevy of inexperienced players, having an experienced player to guide younger athletes is important. Instead of complaining about her playing time and becoming a distraction in her last season, Lynn’s motivation for coming to practice and giving her all has always been clear to her.
“(I want to see) my team get better, especially the younger kids,” Lynn said. “Even if I don’t play, just being able to bust my team’s butt so they can bust the butt of the next people they see. It’s a good feeling.”
As a senior leader, Lynn’s encouragement goes a long way for the Chippewas, Cotton said.
“She’s very vocal,” she said. “She definitely can be heard and I think that helps us with communicating on offense and defense (during games). It helps along with when we have other people being silent some days, it helps them to be vocal and unafraid to talk because it only helps.”
Head Coach Sue Guevara said Lynn is the team’s "energizer bunny," constantly pushing the other players to improve.
“She is encouraging and enthusiastic,” Guevara said. “She keeps everybody up, she hustles, she does a lot of dirty work and she’s great in the locker room. You have to have kids like that in your locker room. She is the best practice player we have. She makes sure she embraces the role of the scout team.”
Talking about practice
The scout team — made up of players that emulate the upcoming opponent during practice — is where Lynn takes the most pride in what she does.
“My goal on the scout team is to get my coach to yell at the players so that they know what they’re not doing and they know what they’re doing (well),” Lynn said. “When I’m on the scout team I just try to go at our girls as hard as I can.”
The time Lynn spends scouting the opponents helps her teammates and also prepares her for when her number is called.
“I just make sure I memorize the scout (report),” Lynn said. “There may be a time where some of our post players get in foul trouble and (Guevara) needs a taller guard to come in and that might be my time to play.”
Both Lynn and Cotton, who are also roommates, came to CMU together four years ago. Cotton has seen Lynn improve during the previous four seasons.
“She’s matured with making us better,” Cotton said. “We all come from high schools where we played literally all 32 minutes, so doing that and coming here, it’s a difference. You have to get acclimated with the changes. I definitely think she’s gotten stronger because when you find out your role and you’re acting in that role, you learn how to maneuver within it.”
While it may not have been the journey Lynn expected, she’s never let the lack of playing time destroy the chemistry she has with her team.
“If you look at Chelsea, it’s not about Chelsea,” Guevara said. “It’s about how can Chelsea help the team and that’s what she brings. You don’t find many players like that. They’re going to whine and cry because they’re not playing, no, Chelsea is going to do what she has to do. If you want to win a championship, you need a Chelsea Lynn on your team.”
