Shout out to the Qcity’s own Joy Cheek for the work she’s putting in for WNBA’s Indiana Fever. The former Duke University player seems to be making a strong case to make the regular season roster with her performance so far.

Cheek made the most of her playing time off the bench in Indiana’s first pre-season game recently against the Chicago Sky, scoring 14 points on 6-8 shots. More importantly, she made an impression on head coach Lin Dunn according to a story that ran in the Indianapolis Star.

"Two people that really got my attention tonight were Shay Murphy and Joy Cheek," Dunn said. "I think what you saw of Joy Cheek today sends a message that she may be the steal of the third round."

The former McDonalds High School All-American, who led South Meck High to a state 4-A championship her senior year, was the second to last player picked in the draft. Despite the long odds, Cheek is making the most of this opportunity as some of Indiana’s veterans are still playing overseas.

The Fever has another preseason matchup against the Sky tonight and then several more days of practice are scheduled before they open up the WNBA regular season against the Washington Mystics on Saturday. Pink slips will be handed out leading up to that game as the team tries to gel and begin its quest to get back to the WNBA finals.

I believe Cheek has a good chance to make the team. At 6 foot 1, she was an undersized power forward at Duke, yet she excelled, making 3rd team All-ACC while helping lead the Lady Blue Devils to the ACC Women’s Tournament Championship.

Now with the possibility of performing on the big stage in the WNBA, Cheek would be considered a dwarf, but you can’t deny that when it comes to winning she’s larger than life. She’s proved that time and time again, whether in high school or college, and now with this next attempt at the pro level. I think she’ll do it again.
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Damon Ford is a former journalist who is now a public relations professional working in the public and private sectors in Charlotte.

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