Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve celebrates record 380th win

In Cheryl Reeve’s first game as head coach of the Minnesota Lynx in May 2010, she beat the now-defunct Tulsa Shock 80-74. But Minnesota would lose nine of the next 10 games. By the end of July, she held a 7-16 record. The Lynx closed the season second-to-last in league at 13-21, ahead of only the abysmal Shock.

Reeve recalls a fan heckling her during a 30-point loss early in the season.

“I had a moment where I just said, ‘I can’t wait,'” Reeve said. “I cannot wait to be able to turn around and tell this fan. The next season, we went from second-to-worst to first.”

That following season, Reeve would take home the WNBA’s coach of the year award and a championship ring. Sixteen years and three more titles later, a win over the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday made Reeve the winningest coach in WNBA history.

“I’m happy to say that that was the last time we were two-and-nine in our first 11,” Reeve said.

Reeve’s 380th “W” puts her above Mike Thibault in WNBA history among coaching wins, and cements an already-solid place in basketball history. Reeve was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame a week prior.

Before that first head coaching job in 2010, Reeve saw WNBA franchises fold around her. Two teams — the Charlotte Sting and Cleveland Rockers — where she was assistant coach ceased operations. She recalls family advising her to consider switching careers or leagues.

“I remember just vividly going, ‘I’m a WNBA person, and if this thing goes down, I’m going down with it, and I’m going to stick it out,'” she said. “And so, 26 years later, it’s become what I always thought it could be.”

“The WNBA is like,” she continued, tearing up. “I found me, and I found my voice in the WNBA.”

When she first interviewed with the Lynx for the head coaching position, she recalls the organization’s goal being to make the playoffs.

“I just didn’t feel like that bar was high enough when eight out of 12 teams made the playoffs,” Reeve said. “I felt like changing the mindset: that should become the expectation. Being in the playoffs should be something that happens every year. The goal is to win a championship.”

She’d stay true to her word.

After that 2010 season, she’d reach the playoffs for eleven consecutive years. Her tenure with the Lynx is by far the longest of any head coach in the WNBA. But she has never cared about the length of her contract.

“If I’m good enough, I’m good enough,” Reeve said. “If I’m not, then I shouldn’t be doing it.”

For many years, Reeve claimed her personal identity was distinct from her professional one. Now, the winningest coach in WNBA history, she’s changed her mind. ​​

“Ultimately, basketball is my identity,” she said. “It is my life. There’s just no way around that, and I stand in that, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of in saying that.”

She still has passion, for every lost game or possession, and as long as she still cares deeply, she says she’s still in this game. Her players have attested that she’s mellowed out over her tenure — she hasn’t lost her on-court intensity, but she has loosened up on travel dress codes.

“If you don’t evolve through the course of those years, it’s probably tough to stay,” Reeve said.

One thing that has always stayed the same is her focus on defensive excellence. When she came to Minnesota, she thought playing some defense would help the team. Today, she thinks defense is what will get win No. 381.

Now, Reeve is entering uncharted territory.

She’s got one of the most dominant teams in the league, with Napheesa Collier, one of the W’s best players, still recovering from an injury. Natasha Howard and Olivia Miles were both named All-Star starters, adding another line to Miles’ stunning Rookie-of-the-Year resume.

Though she’s won championships before, she says she’s driven to win again for this specific squad.

“The people like Kayla, Phee, Tashi coming back, you’ve won a championship here before,” Reeve said. “Courtney Williams has never won a championship. I want it for them. And greed.”