The Athletic: Annalese Lamke, From Cattle to Courtside

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https://theathletic.com/773263/2019/01/17/annalese-lamke-gophers-cattle-lindsay-whalen/

Sloanne Martin:


It’s​ the​ final​ go-round for​ Annalese​ Lamke.

Not​ only is it​ her​ senior​ season​ on the​ University​ of​ Minnesota women’s​ basketball​​ team, but later this year is the last time she’s showing cattle from her family’s Wisconsin farm. After a spring show in Fargo, N.D., she’ll officially age out of the youth division, and like Halloween and Christmas aren’t the same after a certain age, the same goes for showing cattle.

“I did it since like fifth grade or earlier and I loved it ever since,” Lamke said.

The 6-foot-3 native of Galesville, a town of 1,500 not far from Winona, Minn., is quick to point out that beef cattle are not the same as dairy cows. It’s an important distinction for those unfamiliar with the agriculture world. She remembers summers with her brothers, bathing cows in the sun with the music blaring. Two summers ago, in the community where she graduated with around 90 people, she helped deliver a calf and raise it for the first few weeks of its life and went to multiple cattle shows. At the Trempealeau County Fair she won Grand Champion Steer Overall.

...

After a strong career at Gale-Etterick-Trempealeau High School, where she ranks second all-time with 1,384 points, Lamke cracked the starting lineup 14 times in 25 games her freshman year, but only played 5.7 minutes a game on average. She fell out of the regular rotation her sophomore and junior years scoring 26 points in both seasons combined.

She thought about transferring “many” times.

“I kind of came to terms with it,” she said. “I got a lot out of the three years I was here. We had an NIT season, we had a no-postseason season and then a really good postseason run with the NCAA tournament, so all things considered I had a lot of what a lot of basketball players wish they had. So I was like, ‘I’ll check this out but most likely I’m outta here.’”

When news came last April that Lindsay Whalen would take over the program, the decision to stay was made. She shared the news with her brother who texted her, “Oh, yeah. We’re staying.”

...

While Galesville makes Whalen’s hometown of Hutchinson look like St. Paul, she knows what it’s like to feel like you’re overlooked outside of a major city.

“She’s making the most of every opportunity she’s earned,” Whalen said. “Coaching a kid like her is like a dream because she’s putting the time in. She’s working on her game every day. It’s always kind of nice when you have kids coming from kind of under-the-radar (places) because they have a chip on their shoulder and they’ll do anything they can to get on the floor and really work for you. It’s been great getting to coach Annalese.”

Lamke’s teammates have seen her push through frustration and earn a prominent role on the team.

“It’s fun,” junior Jasmine Brunson said. “It’s refreshing. I’m just so happy for her. The team, we’re happy for her as well because we’re seeing all the work she’s put in, not just this year, but last year as well and since I’ve been here. Now that she’s in a big role and a big part of this team, we’re all happy for her.”
 




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