Jeanette Pohlen on the Road to Recovery

June 19, 2013

Jeanette Pohlen on the Road to Recovery

The Fever�s 2011 top draft pick, Jeanette Pohlen, led the WNBA in 3-point shooting percentage while appearing in all 34 games as a rookie. In 2012, she finished 11th in the WNBA for 3-point shooting percentage at 42.1 percent. She replaced an injured Katie Douglas during the conference finals and shot 5-of-5 including four 3-pointers during a decisive Game 3 at Connecticut. She tore her left ACL during Game 2 of the WNBA Finals, however, and continues to rehab her injury today.

As she spends the beginning of this season on the sidelines, Pohlen spent time after practice this week with FeverBasketball.com�s Claire Randich to discuss her current status on the team and her progress to full recovery.

FeverBasketball.com: You recently visited the White House to celebrate your 2012 WNBA Championship. Tell us a little bit about your experience.

Jeanette Pohlen: �It was the experience of a lifetime! It�s such an honor to be recognized by the President and all of his staff. It was just a great opportunity for our program, our team and our staff.�

FB: President Obama recognized your team�s success by hosting a ceremony and giving a speech in the East Room of the White House. What was that like?

JP: �It�s one of those things that you have to pinch yourself to make sure it�s really happening. It was an amazing overall experience and it was a lot of fun!�

FB: I know that you haven�t been able to play in this season so far because of your knee injury, but you are recovering and doing rehab now. How has that progress been going?

JP: �It�s been going really well. I�m starting to do more half-court drills and I�m just trying to get back in to the swing of things. I do lots of extra workouts and lots of other things to get me back to where I want to be. Hopefully, that will all pay off. Progress is good and it has been going in the right direction. My goal is just to keep it going in that direction.�

FB: Sitting on the sidelines, not being able to play, and watching your team struggle these last few games must be hard for you. How do you motivate your other teammates even though you can�t physically help them on the court?

JP: �I just try to give them a lot of encouragement and some constructive criticism. You never really want to give negative energy to them because that just makes things more frustrating. I try to keep the positive energy up on the bench. I usually know what�s going on out there on the court, so if anyone needs help with a play or where they should be, I�m here to help. That�s just been kind of my role for the team right now.�

FB: Basketball aside for a moment, I know that you are currently living downtown this year which is a different change from years past. How have you liked this change?

JP: �Honestly, it�s a great experience both on the court and off the court. It takes me two minutes to get to work. I can�t even finish a song in the car!�

FB: Has it made things easier for you?

JP: �Yes, it�s definitely more convenient. When I need to come in for treatment or just to do some extra work, it�s nice to be so close to the facility and it�s easier to get done what I need to get done. I�m really grateful that we�ve moved downtown.�

FB: What is your favorite part of being downtown?

JP: �Downtown Indy is just growing and growing! It�s a lot of fun to be around all of the restaurants and shops. I do have a lot of favorite places downtown, but I�d say right now I really love this artisan pizza place on Meridian called Napolese. They have great salads and pizzas!�