By Wheat HotchkissFor any gamer, being composed to the WNBA is a dream come to life. However for Grace Berger, who matured driving from her Louisville home to watch Fever games as a child and starred at Indiana College for five periods, being composed by the Indiana Fever has actually made the recently extra special for her." It's right where I wish to be, " Berger claimed Tuesday early morning at her introductory press conference at Gainbridge and her family members would make the two-hour drive north to the Fieldhouse every summer in her childhood to enjoy the High temperature. She matured admiring the tough-nosed play of Tamika Catchings and Katie Douglas, resembling their video games in the driveway. At one game when she was 7 years of ages, Berger got chosen of the crowd to return to the Fever locker area and high-five the players as they went out onto the court." I just was like in disbelief, " Berger remembered. "I thought every person was incredibly tall and I resembled, 'Gosh, I can never play with these women.' "So to type of fast-forward and actually be in this position, it's truly a full-circle minute for me and very special." Berger showed up in Indianapolis on Monday, one week after the High temperature took her with the seventh general pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft. She visited Gainbridge Fieldhouse and fulfilled with the High temperature staff, including general manager Lin Dunn and head trainer Christie Sides. She also entered an exercise, jumping on the court for some specific work with the coaching team. After meeting with the media on Tuesday early morning, she was scheduled to meet several of her brand-new teammates for a group exercise in the afternoon. As the High temperature rolled out the red rug for her, Berger could not assist however consider her family members, those trips to see High temperature video games as a youngster, and what all of this implies to her parents." I think you saw it in my mommy's response, " Berger claimed. "I understand the ESPN cams obtained her crying after I got drafted which's kind of been the entire feeling all over the family members. Undoubtedly staying close to home was massive for them. They have actually never missed out on a video game in college. So I assume that will certainly be truly unique for them and my extended household also." On draft night, Dunn made it clear that while it produces an excellent tale that Berger starred at IU and matured coming to High temperature video games, Indiana prepared her as a result of what she can do on the 5 years with the Hoosiers, Berger scored 1, 841 points, fourth-most in program history, and won a school-record 118 games, leading Indiana to its first ever before number-one seed in the NCAA Competition in 2023. She was a four-time All-Big Ten very first group choice and an honorable mention All-American. A 6-foot guard efficient in playing three placements, Berger averaged 16.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.7 helps in 2021-22, after that slid over to handle more point player obligations in her final season in Bloomington, balancing 12.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. She finished her profession with 573 assists, second-most in institution the "Midrange Queen" for her flair to rack up from that location of the flooring, Berger is an effective scorer and transformed 45.2 percent of her shots over her university occupation, consisting of a career-best 48.4 percent last period. She really did not take a high quantity of 3-point attempts in university, yet wants to increase that location of her game at the next claimed she first realized that she sufficed to play in the WNBA in the summer season of 2021, when United States Basketball selected her to be a component of the roster for the FIBA Women's AmeriCup. Berger assisted lead the Americans to a gold medal, reached gained from nationwide group head instructor Dawn Staley, and played alongside some of the most effective university gamers in the players from that team are now her teammates when again with the Fever-- second-year guard Destanni Henderson and fellow rookie Aliyah Boston, that the High temperature selected with the first number-one pick in franchise business background in recently's and Boston reunited recently at the draft and were excited to learn that they will certainly be teammates as they begin their expert jobs. On Tuesday, Berger went crazy regarding Boston, both as a gamer and a person, from their time along with Team USA. "I assume she makes every person around her much better and I believe that's rather unusual, especially at the collegiate degree for a blog post player Fever Jersey, " Berger stated. "I bear in mind simply fearing of her capacity to set up displays in shift, catch any kind of pass I toss at her, make loses consciousness of a double-team in the post simply to make individuals around her much better." Berger and Boston join a High temperature lineup that is loaded with young ability. Five draft choices from 2022 made Indiana's lineup last year and they'll be taken part training camp-- which starts on April 30-- by 5 more newbies, including Boston, Berger, and Ohio State sharpshooter Taylor Mikesell, that Indiana took with the very first choice in the second it's a young Fever lineup, Indiana has a pair of professional guards in Kelsey Mitchell and Erica Wheeler. Mitchell ranked 6th in the WNBA in scoring in 2015 in her 5th period, balancing a career-best 18.4 factors per video game. The 31-year-old Wheeler returned the High temperature in free company this offseason after initially playing in Indiana from 2016-19 and ending up being the very first undrafted player to be called All-Star Video game MVP in 2019. Mitchell and Wheeler must be useful coaches for Berger, who stated her plan was to "connect myself to" the expert guards in training camp." I'm super excited to just be a sponge to them and type of pick their brains and gain from them and design my game after them, " Berger graduated from Indiana in 2021 with a level in sporting activities marketing and monitoring and has actually been taking graduate-level courses for the previous 2 years. She is taking one online class this term and will need to handle completing that training course while concurrently starting her expert gamer in Indiana history has actually been drafted greater than Berger. Hoosiers head trainer Teri Moren was there in New York alongside Berger for the draft and she has actually felt the love from the Indiana faithful over the past week." It's been amazing, " Berger claimed. "I don't assume it's been unexpected at all since they've been bathing me with that said love-- from my teammates to my instructors to undoubtedly the fans and the area-- since I tipped on campus in 2018. Indiana is just really thrilled about females's basketball, the community is really excited regarding women's basketball. And I'm delighted to experience that at the expert degree, however likewise stay close to Bloomington and the https://www.feverfanstore.com/Leilani_Correa_Jersey individuals that indicate a whole lot to me." I'm excited to have some Hoosier fans in the stands this summer season and simply hope that they can find out to like the High temperature similarly they sustained us at IU."