Babcock-McGraw: Patience finally paying off for Fowles

Tick tock. Tick tock.

It's time. Sylvia Fowles' time, that is.

That's the best way the former Chicago Sky star center can explain why she is at her best in year No. 10 of her pro basketball career. And why she is finally getting some of the ultimate recognition.

"I've had other dominant years, but maybe it wasn't my time," said Fowles, who spent seven years in Chicago before being traded to Minnesota in 2015. "Maybe it's just my time this year. My time to be in the limelight a little bit."

Fowles was named the WNBA's Player of the Year by the Associated Press on Tuesday and she is expected to nab her first league MVP title as well, which should be revealed in the next week or so.

In leading the Lynx (27-7) to the best record in the WNBA, the 31-year-old Fowles was fifth in scoring (18.9 ppg), second in rebounding (10.4 rpg), second in blocks (2.0 bpg) and first in field goal percentage (65.5 percent).

Fowles was a contender for the MVP award in 2013 when she averaged 16.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 58.6 percent in leading the Sky to its first playoff berth. That award went to former Naperville Central star Candace Parker of the Sparks.

"It's probably a little sweeter when you have to wait for it and really work for it," Fowles said of the MVP award. "Not winning it before has kept me working, working to get better and not giving up until I get there. It's helped me keep playing my A-game. I've always just kept trying to get better.

"Not everything will go your way all the time. Nothing is given to you. But you can't let that discourage you, you just have to keep working at it. And never give up."

Fowles never gave up on her dream of winning a WNBA championship. She got close in Chicago with the Sky, which lost in the Finals in 2014 to the Phoenix Mercury.

In 2015, Fowles pushed for a trade to Minnesota and helped the Lynx win the championship that season. She was named the MVP of the Finals.

She says that her career has flourished in Minnesota simply by her being around so many other elite players, such as Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen.

"You have a bunch of all-stars around you but no one acts like an all-star here," Fowles said. "Everyone has just one goal, to treat each other right, and then the winning comes."

Fowles has also appreciated the matter-of-fact style of Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve.

"I love the fact that she is honest, just brutally honest," Fowles said of Reeve. "She's not there to stroke your ego. She lets you know when you do well, but at the same time, she will definitely let you know when you need to do better. But she's always about wanting you to do well. She never lets me get down on myself.

"I think earlier in my career, I would get too upset if things weren't going well."

Keeping it simple has helped Fowles over her career too. She was a back-to-the-basket post player in both high school and college and she is still playing with her back to the basket.

"I don't try to do too much," said Fowles, acknowledging that a lot of post players are now shooting 3-pointers regularly. Fowles has shot one 3-pointer in her pro career. With the Sky in 2010. And she made it.

"There aren't too many of us back-to-the-basket post players left anymore, but that's what I know," Fowles said.

When it is time, Fowles is prepared to move into the next chapter of her life. She still has plans to work with a mortician (yes, you read that right) as a mortuary beautician, and she would like to have children.

But those days aren't on her radar yet.

"I feel like I still have a lot left in the tank" said Fowles, who plays shortened seasons in the leagues in China as part of her off-season routine. "I'm stronger than I have been in years. I'm healthy. I'm feeling good. I'm still enjoying it."

Of course, winning major awards adds to the fun.

"It's humbling, too," Fowles said. "It's a lot of work to maintain this level of play and to reach all the expectations.

"I'm so happy with the direction I've gone in this season. Now we're ready to get the playoffs started."

Minnesota, which along with the Los Angeles Sparks got a bye to the semifinals, opens its playoff push on Tuesday. The Lynx will be fighting for its fourth title in the last seven years, and the second of Fowles' illustrious career.

So is U.S. women's tennis back?

Outside of sisters Serena and Venus Williams, U.S. women's tennis had become slightly irrelevant in recent years. No one but the Williams sisters was worth talking about.

But suddenly, the entire semifinal field at this week's U.S. Open was filled with Americans: Venus Williams, CoCo Vandeweghe, Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens. It's the first time that has happened since 1981.

And the last American woman to win a major title other than a Williams was Jennifer Capriati in 2002.

Here's hoping that some of these other American women have some staying power.