June 23, 2015
Vanderbilt’s all-time leader in minutes played — Jasmine Lister — has now logged some minutes at the highest level of women’s basketball.
Lister made her WNBA debut on Tuesday night with the Los Angeles Sparks, scoring four points and pulling down four rebounds during the Sparks’ 84-80 road loss to the Washington Mystics.
She finished 2-of-3 from the floor and dished out one assist while becoming the 10th player in Commodore history to see action in a WNBA game. For box score, click HERE.
“I am so happy to be here,” Lister told vucommodores.com after her debut. “Honestly, I don’t even know if it has hit me yet. … I am just staying in the moment and enjoying every second.”
Tuesday’s game capped a whirlwind 48-hour stretch for Lister.
She was in her apartment in Connecticut on Sunday night when she was contacted by Los Angeles head coach Brian Agler, who asked her if she could be in Washington, D.C., on Monday morning at 9 a.m. — and Lister said she could.
Lister was then added to the Sparks’ roster on Tuesday, and made her NBA debut a few hours later.
“It felt absolutely amazing to be back on the court again,” she said.
Lister, who completed a highly-decorated career at Vanderbilt in 2014, was invited to training camp with the Seattle Storm last summer. She did not make the opening-day roster, but she obviously made a big impression on Agler, who was the Storm’s head coach last year.
A few months after training camp, Lister landed a job as a graduate assistant at the University of Connecticut on head coach Geno Auriemma’s staff, and she spent the 2014-15 season on the bench for the NCAA champions.
Now, though, she’s left the sidelines — and returned to floor.
“It’s crazy how faith and patience plays just as big of a role — if not the (biggest role) — in staying ready to play,” said Lister. “And knowing that I have my family, my Vanderbilt family and my UConn family supporting me is definitely a plus.”
While at Vanderbilt, Lister became one of the most durable players in the program’s history. She was in the starting lineup for every game of her career (129) and logged 4,626 minutes of playing time, easily the most by any player to wear a Commodore uniform. Lister, who was an WBCA All-American Honorable Mention as a senior, ranks third on Vanderbilt’s all-time list in assists (591) and 10th in scoring (1,618).
