Aces’ Forward ready to return to the court

Now that Aces’ forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus has given birth to her second child, the veteran forward is ready to return to the sidelines with her teammates.

Parker-Tyrus made sure that she stayed tuned into every game this season leading up to her due date.

“I’m ambitious. I’m competitive. I’ve been watching my team,” Parker-Tyus said in an interview with the Las Review-Journal on Wednesday. “I want to be there for them.”

It has been a mere three weeks since she gave birth to her son, a healthy baby that she named Yoshua.

Parker-Tyus hopes to make her return to the team right before the beginning of the WNBA Playoffs which begin September 14.

“It’s soon,” she acknowledged as she elaborated on her plan. “(The Aces) are not pressuring me into that at all, and I appreciate that. But it kind of keeps my mentality focused on just getting back and getting in shape.”

During her time in Atlanta, Parker-Tyus averaged 15.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. She was signed to the Aces in February after having played a full season in China while pregnant.

Only one thing stands in her path to return, her husband. Keevin Tyrus. Tyus is a former athlete himself and her personal trainer. Parker-Tyus said the couple made a bet to play one-on-one before she’s cleared to head back on the court.

“If I’m not ready to do it, or I do the one-on-one and he whups my ass, then cool. I need more time,” Parker-Tyus said. “But if I hold it down like I’m pretty sure I will, then he has to trust me and let me ease back in.”

“Basically, I have one more week until we’re going to start doing some small strengthening stuff, and obviously I can start doing a little more on the court,” she said. “It just feels good to be in the gym and touch a basketball without my belly.”