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Candice Wiggins of the Lynx continues to recover from a ruptured Achilles' tendon suffered in June. While she is optimistic about returning full speed for the upcoming WNBA season, she has also been doing plenty -- in addition to rehabilitating her injury -- during the past several months. Wiggins was in the Twin Cities last week, where she talked to the Star Tribune's Michael Rand about several subjects and showed him her crazy skills on the Rubik's Cube.Q For someone who has done sports all her life and who is a multisport athlete, what was it like to grind it to a halt?

A It was really hard. But then it was weird because I started getting really busy. One thing I did was finish school. I went back to school [at Stanford] and was able to just dive into my five classes and my rehab. I was doing single-leg calf raises until my face turned blue.

Q I know you're only 23, but has this time given you an early look at what you might do when your career is done?

A I met Condoleezza Rice, and we had a talk about the next chapter of life. She's a huge fan and a huge Stanford sports fan. I'm just in awe of her presence, so it was really cool to meet with her. And she was telling me about her life and her career, which was completely unexpected and just happened. She wanted to be a pianist. She's a failed concert pianist who found her passion in international politics. For me, especially, it's going to be something like that. Something is going to sweep me off my feet when basketball is over. What that is, I don't know. But I'm prepared for everything -- except maybe chef. (Laughs.) That's one thing I couldn't do.

Q You're very active on Twitter. Is that something you naturally just do?

A Well, I went to school at a very cool time. Facebook was limited to just Harvard and Stanford students. It moved on from there and is what it is now. ... I understand the purpose of Twitter. It's about communicating with the world, and I want to do that. And I'm conscious of my brand. For me, it's about people getting to know me better in a way that's awesome.

Q How does your intelligence translate to the court and to your interaction with teammates?

A Well, as much of a student I am in the classroom, I'm a much bigger student of the basketball game. I do relate to my teammates. I mean, a lot of times they call me "nerd." (Laughs.) But I love it. I think everyone should want to be a nerd and know more. Knowledge is power. And it's helped me on the court. I'm a thinker and a problem-solver on the court. Basketball is a Rubik's Cube. It's just in a different way. And I think I've mastered this Rubik's Cube as well.

Q Tell me quick about this trip you're planning to Spain in October -- how is this going to work?

A I'm organizing a trip for people who want to go over there and see the life of a player overseas. I love Spain. I'm going to be the personal tour guide. Who wouldn't want to go to Spain? Right now, I'm not sure what to expect. But we have a web site: www.travelwithcandice.wordpress.com where people can get more information and go from there.

Q So, will you be back at full speed by the time the season starts?

A I'd better be! With all this work I'm putting in. I mean, it's January and I'm feeling great. I want to be a beast. I want to be back and be great.

Q Is this the year the Lynx put it all together?

A I don't know if you watch "Top Chef," but there's a part of the show in the finals where they get the really tight ingredients. There's no excuse. You'd better cook up the best meal. You're not going to the gas station and having to cook whatever. That's how I feel about the Lynx. We have the truffle oil and all the good stuff. We have the most delicious ingredients. Now we have to make something good.