Week 9 POW: Lindsey Theuninck (2017)

She's been a star forever, so the 51-point explosion wasn't exactly a surprise. Neither was hitting the 3,000-point milestone. I'll go on record saying her walking away with the Miss Basketball award would also surprise very few.

That pretty much covers all the bases on Mankato Loyola's Lindsey Theuninck, right?

The MN Fury star was voted our Player of the Week in Week 9, so I'm playing catchup. Theuninck was off on a school trip most of last week so her profile here actually comes when Mountain Iron-Buhl's Mya Buffetta should be profiled — I'll get hers posted shortly.

Theuninck, the Crusader captain, is having a fantastic senior season. She's averaging 27.5 PPG with 50 treys. She's probably the best player in Class A and she's proving that each and every night for Loyola, which boasts an 18-2 record.

I'm particularly interested in how Theuninck fares on the Miss Basketball ballot. She was one of just two from the state's smallest class to make the initial list of 29, which gets cut down to five next month. The winner is announced in April at the Minnesota Girls High School All-Star Series.

For perspective, the last Miss Basketball winner from Class A was, I believe, Goodhue's Sue Fiero in 1996. That's a looooong time. Can Theuninck finally snap that dry spell?

Anyway, we caught up with her for some thoughts on Loyola's season, the state tournament and her future.

Q & A

NORTHSTAR: You recently scored your 3,000th career points. Only a handful of players, male and female, have ever done that in Minnesota. What was that moment like for you?

LINDSEY: Scoring my 3,000th point is something that I will never forget. All my family and friends were there to see it and having my dad coaching me is so special. 

NORTHSTAR: A big reason you won our weekly award was because you scored a state-high 51 points the week before the big milestone. You're again one of the state's leading scorers, so that big number isn't exactly a surprise. How would you describe that particular night?

LINDSEY: Warming up before that game, I honestly thought I was going to have an off night. None of my shots were going in! But when I came off a screen and hit an off-balance three for my first points, I knew that I was going to have a big night. My teammates were so excited for me and kept getting me the ball and encouraging me to keep shooting. It was a fun game.

NORTHSTAR: You're able to consistently take over at Mankato Loyola, but you also looked quite comfortable playing with high-level teammates during the summer with Minnesota Fury. How do you see your game translating at the next level with South Dakota State?

LINDSEY: I think I need to get a lot stronger and faster in order to be able to play at South Dakota State. I'm going to have to work really hard to prove that I'm capable of competing at that level, but I'm really excited for the opportunity.

NORTHSTAR: I always love hearing about father-daughter relationships when dad is also the coach. What's been the best and worst/hardest thing about having your dad on the sidelines every day?

LINDSEY: The best part is always having him along the way to share in the success and fun memories that the team makes. My dad and I have the best relationship, so there aren't too many hardships. He gets on me a lot, but that's just because he expects a lot of me and knows what I'm capable of.

NORTHSTAR: Back in 2013, you made a very early verbal commitment to play Division I hoops at South Dakota State.  What convinced you that was the best spot for you? Did you ever have any second thoughts?

LINDSEY: Ever since fourth grade, I've wanted to play Division I basketball, but I'm also a homebody so I wanted to stay close to home. South Dakota State seemed like the perfect spot for me after I visited as I loved the coaches, campus, basketball success, and the close proximity to home. I've always had the same excitement about my decision.

NORTHSTAR: You got a big section win last week over Cedar Mountain/Comfrey and have now won 11 of 12. At 18-2, Loyola is among the top teams in Class A. How special would it be to end your career at Williams Arena?

LINDSEY: Ending my career at Williams Arena would be the perfect ending to my career. That has always been the goal and will continue to be what my team is working toward. I can't wait to see if our hard work pays off come playoffs.