Apple in her eyes

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, April 23, 2002 | 11:02 a.m.

Linda Frohlich was back at UNLV on Monday after spending her first weekend in New York City. And the good news is the second round draft pick of the New York Liberty still hasn't heard of three-card monte, the shell game or bought one of those too-good-to-be-true Rolex watches on a street corner.

"Ah, no," Frohlich said with a smile when asked if she bumped into any of the city's famed con artists on her first stroll through The Big Apple. "But thanks for warning me."

Frohlich, UNLV's all-time leading scorer and rebounder and a three-time Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, will get to spend the next four months in New York while playing her first season with the WNBA squad. The Liberty begins training camp on Monday.

For Frohlich, who grew up in the tiny German farm town of Oldendorf, it figures to be quite a culture shock.

Frohlich once said there were as many cows as people (about 2,000) in her hometown. But she came clean on Monday before one of her final weightlifting sessions at the Lied Athletic Complex.

"Actually, there are more cows," she admitted.

And as big a change as it was for Frohlich to move from Germany to Las Vegas, it figures to even more of an adjustment to move to New York City. One Internet headline about Frohlich read, "From Mayberry to the Big Apple."

"It was like the New York, New York Hotel, only about three times taller," Frohlich said. "When I flew into Las Vegas the first time, it really was an overwhelming feeling for me. And when I flew into New York, I had that same feeling again.

"After a while you kind of get used to Las Vegas. I wondered if I would ever experience that kind of feeling I had the first time I got here again. And now I have. Coming into New York and seeing that skyline ... and, omigosh, there are so many people!"

Frohlich was asked what is going to be more nervewracking the next few weeks, moving to New York or moving up to the WNBA.

"Most definitely moving up to the WNBA," Frohlich said. "Throughout your college life you learn to live in different places. I should adjust pretty quickly to that. But the WNBA thing is going to be a challenge. It's going to be very, very competitive because everybody is playing for a paycheck."

Frohlich, who averaged 21.2 points and 10.1 rebounds as a senior in leading the Lady Rebels to their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1994, talked about the aspects of her game she must improve to be successful at the next level.

"I think I need to maybe get mentally a little tougher," she said. "Hopefully this training camp will help me out in that regard. Once I get the mental toughness there is nothing that's going to stop me because I do have the work ethic. If they tell me to improve on this and improve on that, I'll do it. But I just have to develop the mental toughness to stick with it when it gets tough sometimes."

The good news for Frohlich fans is that eight of her games are already slated to be televised nationally by either NBC, ESPN or ESPN2, including the May 25 season opener at the defending WNBA champion Los Angeles Sparks at noon on NBC.

"I sure have thought about that," Frohlich said. "I hope at that point I'll be on the team. How much better can it get than that, playing on the West Coast against the defending champions?"

Local television weekend sports anchor Chris Maathuis will serve as the master of ceremonies, while UNLV coach Regina Miller and selected members of the Lady Rebels squad will address those in attendance. A special viewing of the team's NCAA Tournament highlights will also be featured.

For more information on the event, contact the UNLV women's basketball office at 895-3151.