Lyles to play professional basketball

~ The former Redhawks player has signed with a team in Sweden.

Lachelle Lyles failed to land a spot in the WNBA.

But the former Southeast Missouri State star is still going to play professional basketball.

Lyles recently signed a contract with a team in Sweden. She leaves Oct. 22, with the squad's first game set for Oct. 28.

"I'm real excited," said Lyles, who is currently working out in Cape Girardeau. "It's a pretty good league and I'll be making a nice living."

Lyles, a 6-foot-2 center, was the nation's leading rebounder last season with an average of 17 per game as she helped send the Redhawks to their second straight NCAA tournament.

Lyles, who averaged 8.4 points per game, participated in the WNBA pre-draft camp in late March in Cleveland, but she was not selected in the April 4 draft.

While Lyles said she was initially disappointed, she said playing in Sweden will help her improve her power forward skills, which is what she would have to play in the WNBA -- and she said that is her ultimate goal.

"I was disappointed, but I know there are still some things I need to work on to play the four spot," she said. "I plan to work on those skills and hopefully make the WNBA some day."