Playing Where the Pros Play: Girls Basketball’s Experience on the Target Center Court

When I first heard we would be playing St. Paul Academy (SPA) at Target Center, I was floored. I had been there for various concerts and Lynx games before, but I could never actually imagine myself being on that floor. But on January 9, 2026, I didn’t need to exercise any part of my imagination. This was real life; I was about to play this sport called basketball, against this rival team called SPA, in this magical place called Target Center.
After we were dropped off at the main entrance and passed through security, my teammates and I were buzzing with excitement. Coming off of our first dub of the season, we were hyped up, hopefully enough to pull together another one. Leading up to game day, our coaches hyped up the importance of this experience, instilling us with a sense of pride and gratitude. After security, we were led through the winding halls of the ground floor and into our locker room (which was notably only slightly cramped and overheated), and we passed by life-size banners of Timberwolves players. Once we were all ready to go, our coach came in to go over our plays and give us a pep talk. We left the locker room nervous about the pressure of the big stage, but thrilled to take on the challenge.
Stepping onto the court for the first time was unreal. What I noticed first was the magnitude of the whole space. It felt like the ceiling was a mile away, and the ocean of seat levels was almost dizzying. The shiny court reflected the intensely bright overhead lights, and music played from the speakers. A handful of security dotted the outskirts of court, and there was the largest number of fans I have ever witnessed in my four years playing Breck girls basketball. It was heartwarming to see our families and friends coming to support us, especially at such an awesome place like the Target Center.
We completed our warmups, and went into a team huddle. Everyone’s faces were serious but also hinted at a smile; we were here to play, but also to have fun in a place where the pros play. And we did just that, going on to have a great game and beat SPA 53-42.
When asked what it was like to play at Target Center, Kate Grein (‘30) said “It was a really cool experience, especially as a growing basketball player to be on a court of that level and experience the crowd like a professional player.” She also thought it was cool to see the behind-the-scenes areas of the target center. Skylar Gumbs (‘30) said that her favorite part was “playing on the same court as the Lynx”, as well as the “comfy benches”. I can definitely attest to both of their statements; and yes, those benches were quite comfy. Both players said they would definitely want to play there again in the future.
Overall, the team and I are super grateful for the opportunity that the Timberwolves’ “Play Where the Pros Play” program gave us, and I hope that future girls basketball teams get the chance to play at Target Center as well!