Just as she was during their WNBA Finals run in October, Lindsay Whalen will again be coaching the Lynx from the sidelines next season — only now in an official capacity.
The franchise’s all-time leader in assists and No. 1 fan in 2024 was announced as an assistant coach over the weekend and officially introduced on Monday.
Looking at clips of Whalen — who won four titles as a player with the Lynx — standing up from her courtside seat and shouting instructions to players during Minnesota’s run to the WNBA championship this fall made head coach Cheryl Reeve smile.
“To see someone being in the stands like Lindsay, that had walked the walk, that had been through all of that,” Reeve said, “to see her have joy watching the game of basketball, and (know) that we brought that to her, that’s what was really special.”
Whalen loved everything about how the 2024 Lynx played and operated, to the point that she was convinced by star forward Napheesa Collier to fly to New York for Game 5 of the finals.
Throughout the postseason, Whalen noted, she would text back and forth with other prominent members of the dynasty — Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles and Seimone Augustus — about last season’s team, and she enjoyed being the on-site representative to demonstrate the admiration shared by the franchise’s legends.
“This team was so fun to watch because of just how they played, and how you could just feel — either through the TV or watching the games — there was just this energy and chemistry,” Whalen said. “It was inspiring. And they did things the right way.”
All of that seems to have contributed to Whalen’s decision to jump back into the coaching ranks and take on the challenge of helping the Lynx complete the mission it nearly accomplished two months ago of winning the first post-dynasty title.
“I’m thrilled, very excited for the opportunity,” she said. “I can’t wait to work with all of the players, to get to know everybody even better.”
Frankly, it’s all Whalen has thought about for the past month as discussions began and the possibility looked more and more realistic. It will be two years in March since Whalen was let go by the U after five seasons spent leading the Gophers women’s program.
The chance to coach at her alma mater came directly on the heels of her retirement as a Hall of Fame point guard. She jumped from one thing to the next without breaking stride. In that way, the past two years have been nice for Whalen, who had time to play tennis, golf, spend time with family and friends and simply enjoy basketball without pressure.
Now she’s ready to return in an official capacity.
“You take it all in and get to the point where you just miss being in the gym so bad,” Whalen said. “You just miss being at practice and at workouts. Just having that time to really miss it, whereas before I just went right into the next thing. So, I think that’s been positive.”
Timing, Reeve noted, is everything. And she firmly believes this is the right time for the two who built such a strong bond as head coach and point guard to coach together.
Reeve cited Whalen’s ability to work with players on the floor, much as current assistant Rebekkah Brunson, another key cog in the Lynx’s dynastic run currently does. Brunson can work with the bigs, and Whalen can head the drills with the guards.
“Towards the end of the season, (Lynx point guard Courtney Williams) stopped listening to me,” Reeve joked. “Now we have a coach (in Whalen) that you have to listen to. … How do you not?”
Reeve noted Whalen can help interpret the head coach’s messages, but will also play a key role in making personnel decisions. Whalen and new associate head coach Eric Thibault — who spent the last two years as head coach of the Mystics — bring valuable head coaching experience to Minnesota’s revamped staff.
“You can feel Lindsay’s enthusiasm. It’s palpable, her passion,” Reeve said. “To be on the court and to have somebody that’s been there and done this — like we have with Rebekkah Brunson — at the lead guard position, I think, is going to be invaluable.”
Briefly
The Lynx will open the regular season in Dallas against the Wings on May 16. Tip is set for 6:30 p.m. The full scheduled can be found at https://lynx.wnba.com/schedule .
