Cheryl Reeve

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Cheryl Reeve
MN Lynx's coach Cheryl Reeve in 2024 (1).jpg
Reeve in 2022
Minnesota Lynx
Position Head coach, President of Basketball Operations
League WNBA
Personal information
Born (1966-09-20) September 20, 1966 (age 59)
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Career information
High school Washington Township
(Sewell, New Jersey)
College La Salle (1984–1988)
Coaching career1988–present
Career history
1988–1990 La Salle (assistant)
1990–1995 George Washington (assistant)
1995–2000 Indiana State
20012002 Charlotte Sting (assistant)
2003 Cleveland Rockers (assistant)
20042005 Charlotte Sting (assistant)
20062009 Detroit Shock (assistant)
2010–present Minnesota Lynx
Career highlights
As head coach:

As assistant coach:

Medals
Head coach for the Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2024 Paris Team
FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2022 Australia

Cheryl Reeve (born September 20, 1966) is an American basketball head coach and President of Basketball Operations for the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA. [1] Reeve has coached the Lynx to four league championships. In WNBA history, she is first in career wins including regular season and postseason, is second in career regular season wins, and is first in career postseason wins as a coach. Reeve was named the WNBA Coach of the Year in 2011, [2] 2016, [3] 2020, [4] and 2024 [5] and WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year in 2019 [6] and 2024. [5] She is the first coach in WNBA history to be named Coach of the Year four times. [5]

Contents

Early life and education

Cheryl Reeve was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on September 20, 1966. Reeve grew up in Washington Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey and graduated from Washington Township High School in 1984, where she was part of the school's first team to make the state finals. [7] In 1988, Reeve was a Rhodes Scholar nominee and received a MAAC Scholar-Athlete Post Graduate Award and an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship. She earned a bachelor's degree in computer science that year and then an MBA, both from La Salle University. [8]

Coaching career

Reeve started out as assistant coach at her alma mater, La Salle for two years. She was then an assistant at George Washington for five years. The Colonials posted five 20-win seasons, captured three Atlantic 10 Conference Championships and appeared in four NCAA tournaments during Reeve's stint at George Washington. Her first head coaching position was with the Indiana State Sycamores from 1995 to December 1 of the 2000–2001 season (replaced by her assistant coach Jim Wiedie). [9] [10] [11] [12] She improved the team's record each year for the first four seasons, and led the squad to its first postseason berth in 20 years following the 1998–1999 campaign. She is tied with Kay Riek for 5th in Lady Sycamore Wins.

WNBA career

Assistant coach roles

Reeve got her start in the WNBA with the Charlotte Sting in 2001 when she joined Anne Donovan’s staff as an assistant. After posting an 8–24 record the year previous, Charlotte turned things around in Reeve’s first year by going 18–14 and advancing to the WNBA Finals. They followed in 2002, with another 18–14 mark and their second straight appearance in the postseason.

Following the 2002 campaign, Donovan left to become the head coach of the Seattle Storm, and Dan Hughes and the Cleveland Rockers hired Reeve away from Charlotte. The Rockers advanced to the playoffs that year, but in the offseason ownership decided to cease operation of the team making Reeve a coaching free agent. She rejoined the Sting staff for the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Reeve then spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the Detroit Shock, also serving as the team's last general manager before they moved to Tulsa.

Minnesota Lynx head coach

Reeve coaching the Lynx in 2011 Minnesota Lynx Bench, June 2011.jpg
Reeve coaching the Lynx in 2011

Reeve was named the head coach of the Minnesota Lynx on December 8, 2009. In her first season, the Lynx went 13–21, missing the playoffs. The team was hampered by injuries to Candice Wiggins and Seimone Augustus. At one point, a frustrated Reeve said bluntly, "We are a bad basketball team. It starts at the top. I have not been able to get them to understand defensively what we need to get done and, clearly, our offense is one of the worst in the league." [13]

The Lynx improved dramatically in 2011. With Wiggins and Augustus back healthy, and with the addition of rookie Maya Moore, the team got off to a quick start and did not falter throughout the regular season, finishing with a league-best 27–7 record. The dramatic turnaround earned Reeve the WNBA Coach of the Year Award in just her second year as a head coach at the professional level. [14] [15] The Lynx finished what they started, losing only one game in the playoffs en route to their first WNBA championship.

Reeve in 2013 Cheryl Reeve cropped.jpg
Reeve in 2013

Reeve took her team back to the playoffs in her third year. The team qualified for the playoffs after just 21 games, the fastest in franchise history. Reeve became the winningest coach in Lynx franchise history on August 26, 2012, with a win over the Atlanta Dream. [16] The Lynx went on to lose to the Indiana Fever in the WNBA Finals.

In 2013, Reeve and her staff coached the WNBA Western Conference All-Star Team, as the Lynx had won the conference championship the previous year. Reeve's squad included four Lynx players: Seimone Augustus, Maya Moore, Rebekkah Brunson, and Lindsay Whalen. Reeve's team ended up winning the game, 102–98. [17] Reeve's team then swept through the playoffs, going 7–0 en route to their second championship under her leadership.

Reeve is the most successful coach in franchise history, both in terms of the number of games won and winning percentage, and also has the highest winning percentage in WNBA history. She won her 100th regular season game on June 2, 2014, in a victory over the San Antonio Stars. She won her 31st postseason game on September 30, 2016, in a semi-final victory over the Phoenix Mercury, to move into first place in WNBA history in playoff wins. [18]

In December 2017, Reeve was also promoted to the Lynx General Manager position. [19] With her 2022 contract extension, Reeve moved from the general manager position to president of basketball operations. [20]

Throughout her tenure, Reeve has won many accolades for her coaching. She was named WNBA Coach of the Year in 2011, [2] 2016, [21] 2020, [22] and 2024. [5] She was named the AP coach of the year in 2020 [23] and 2024. [24] Additionally, she was inducted into the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2023. [25]

USA Basketball

In the 2016 and 2020 games, Reeve served as an assistant coach on Team USA. In 2016, Geno Auriemma was the head coach, while Dawn Staley took over for the 2020 competition.

Before taking on her role among the assistant coaching staff, Reeve had served as an assistant for the 2014–16 USA National Team that took home gold medals at the 2014 FIBA World Cup Team and 2016 Olympic Games. She returned as an assistant for the 2018 World Cup Team, winning gold and qualifying the USA for the 2020 Olympics. [26]

Reeve was named the head coach for the women's national team in December 2021. [27] As head coach, she led the national team to its fourth World Cup with the October 2022 win. [27] She was named USA Basketball's National Team Coach for the Year in 2022 following the World Cup win. [27] The national team won its 8th Olympic gold medal in the final game against France on August 11, 2024, with Reeve as head coach. [28]

Personal life

Reeve is married to singer and Lynx President of Business Operations Carley Knox. They have one child, Oliver, who Knox said has seen every Lynx home game since he was born. [29]

Coaching record

College

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Indiana State Sycamores (Missouri Valley Conference)(1995–2000)
1995–96Indiana State 7–193–159th
1996–97Indiana State 14–139–9T–4th
1997–98Indiana State 17–1110–84th
1998–99Indiana State 18–1110–84th WNIT First Round
1999–00Indiana State 9–185–13T–7th
2000–01Indiana State 1–50–0
Total:66–77 (.462)

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

WNBA

Legend
Regular seasonGGames coachedWGames wonLGames lostW–L %Win–loss %
PlayoffsPGPlayoff gamesPWPlayoff winsPLPlayoff lossesPW–L %Playoff win–loss %
TeamYearGWLW–L%FinishPGPWPLPW–L%Result
MIN 2010 341321.3825th in WestMissed Playoffs
MIN 2011 34277.7941st in West871.875Won WNBA Finals
MIN 2012 34277.7941st in West954.555Lost WNBA Finals
MIN 2013 34268.7651st in West7701.000Won WNBA Finals
MIN 2014 34259.7352nd in West532.600Lost in Western Conference Finals
MIN 2015 342212.6471st in West1073.700Won WNBA Finals
MIN 2016 34286.8241st in West853.625Lost in WNBA Finals
MIN 2017 34277.7941st in West862.700Won WNBA Finals
MIN 2018 341816.5294th in West101.000Lost in 1st Round
MIN 2019 341816.5294th in West101.000Lost in 1st Round
MIN 2020 22148.6364th in West413.250Lost in Semifinals
MIN 2021 322210.6882nd in West101.000Lost in Second Round
MIN 2022 361422.3895th in WestMissed Playoffs
MIN 2023 401921.4753rd in West312.333Lost in 1st Round
MIN 2024 403010.7501st in West1275.583Lost in WNBA Finals
MIN 2025 443410.7731st in West3301.000TBD in Semifinals
Career554364190.657805228.650

References

  1. "Lynx Basketball Operations". Minnesota Lynx. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Minnesota's Cheryl Reeve Named 2011 WNBA Coach of the Year". OurSports Central. September 16, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  3. "Minnesota's Cheryl Reeve Named 2016 WNBA Coach of Year". WNBA. NBA Media Ventures. September 30, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  4. "Cheryl Reeve Named 2020 WNBA Coach of the Year". Minnesota Lynx. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Minnesota Lynx's Cheryl Reeve Named WNBA Coach of the Year and WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year for 2024 Season". www.wnba.com. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  6. "Minnesota's Cheryl Reeve Named 2019 WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year". Official Site of the WNBA. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  7. Caffrey, Michelle. "Championship WNBA coach and Washington Township graduate to be honored by Philadelphia Sports Writers Association", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 22, 2012. Accessed September 23, 2017. "Cheryl Reeve has made her hometown proud. A 1984 graduate of Washington Township High School, Reeve recently led the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx team to a championship victory."
  8. "Head coach of the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx". La Salle University. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  9. "Sycamores Ready for Bahamas Sunsplash Shootout". gosycamores.com. Indiana State Sports. December 16, 2009. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  10. "SIU Set to Host Indiana State". Southern Illinois Salukis. January 24, 2001. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  11. "Wiedie Remains Indiana State Coach". AP News. March 27, 2001. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  12. Bode, Gus (January 17, 2001). "MVC women's basketball outlook". Daily Egyptian. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  13. Lynx coach knows good basketball
  14. Reeve Named WNBA Coach of the Year
  15. "Lynx Reeve, Moore Receive League Awards :: SportsPageMagazine.com". Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  16. Augustus, Brunson lead Lynx past Dream Archived August 27, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  17. Parham, Nate. "2013 WNBA All-Star Game Final Score: Candace Parker's MVP Performance Leads West to 102–98 Victory." Swish Appeal. 27 July 2013.
  18. "As WNBA playoffs tip off, here's you need to know about the Minnesota Lynx". MPR News. September 20, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  19. Youngblood, Kent (December 28, 2017). "Lynx's Cheryl Reeve promoted to general manager". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  20. "Reeve gets extension, promotion to Lynx prez". ESPN.com. November 3, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  21. "Cheryl Reeve wins WNBA Coach of the Year". September 30, 2016. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  22. "Cheryl Reeve Named WNBA Coach Of The Year". WNBA.com – Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  23. "Crystal Dangerfield is Rookie of Year, Cheryl Reeve top coach in media WNBA awards". Star Tribune. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  24. "AP WNBA Awards". AP News. September 22, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  25. MitchellHansen (December 28, 2023). "Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve Part of 2023 Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame Class". Canis Hoopus. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  26. "Could Cheryl Reeve Be Next USA Head Coach?". Zone Coverage. August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  27. 1 2 3 "Cheryl Reeve Named USA Basketball's 2022 National Team Coach of the Year". USA Basketball. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  28. "U.S. women's basketball team beats France by 1 point to get 8th straight Olympic gold medal - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. August 11, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  29. Ziegler, Cyd (December 21, 2017). "Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve and VP Carley Knox are wives married to each other". Outsports . Retrieved April 24, 2025.