Cheryl Reeve blasting Lynx players after training camp is harsh but fair

The countdown to the beginning of the 2025 WNBA season is on, and it’s time for teams to put their feet on the gas. In what may be the most competitive season in WNBA history, teams cannot let up for a single day. Right now, it’s time to shift from training camp mode into regular season mode.

Coaches expect 100% at the very least from their players every single day, and some are not afraid to tell it as it is when they don’t get that. Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve knows what it takes to build a championship team, and sometimes that means tough love. After Lynx practice on Monday, Reeve called out her team for not bringing their A-game to that day’s practice.

“It’s why we are here so early,” she said to reporters after the Lynx concluded their practice.

“The way they showed up today, it felt like they were not interested in really being here and working on anything,” Reeve added with a sarcastic chuckle.

Tough? Maybe. Effective. Very likely. Reeve is one of the most respected coaches in women’s basketball, and if she is disappointed in you... Well, I know it would make me take a look in the mirror and get myself in check.

Minnesota is trying to make a return to the WNBA Finals this season after losing in last year’s Finals series 3-2 against New York. It was a tight series and could have easily gone the other way, and let the Lynx win their first WNBA Championship since the days of Maya Moore in 2017. Instead, they went home empty-handed, and the Liberty won their first title.

This year will be even tougher, given that the Liberty have leveled up their roster in various ways, and the Las Vegas Aces are already looking menacing in the preseason. The Indiana Fever have boosted the surrounding roster around Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, and many other teams are waiting on the fringe to take over a championship-contending spot on the league power rankings.

As a result of all that, it’s no surprise Reeve is expecting such a high level of effort from her team, no matter what day of the week it is. They will need to be at 100% every single minute of every single game to compete with the high level of talent the WNBA is currently operating with.

Mentioning that to reporters isn’t just an off-handed dig at her team’s effort in practice, it’s a way to hold them accountable. Sometimes, a little public shaming to the media is what players need to kick themselves into gear.

Moreover, coming from a coach as highly respected as Reeve should make the public comments feel less about being mean, and more simply about being fair. She tells it how it is, and if you’re not ready for that, well, there are about 100 recently-cut training camp players ready to come in and take your roster spot.