After months of uncertainty as to if or even when the 2020 WNBA season would begin, the Minnesota Lynx and the rest of the league are preparing to tip off the new-look season in late July.
On July 6, Minnesota and a majority of other WNBA teams moved down to Bradenton, Fla. to gear up for the start of a 22-game regular season in an unusual central “bubble” location featuring two basketball courts at IMG Academy.
“I just couldn’t wait to get on the court with them for the first time, and I think they felt that way too. The energy was palpable.”
TEAM BONDING NOT AN ISSUE FOR LYNX
In a normal WNBA season, Reeve has oftentimes been in favor of starting off the regular season schedule with a lengthy road trip.
Although being away from home and playing in front of another team’s crowd can seem like an odd thing to prefer right out of the gate, Reeve likes those early-season trips to help with team bonding as players and coaches get to know each other better.
“I believe that culture — something the Minnesota Lynx have been noted for over the last decade — is going to be really valuable. That’s something that we are going to focus on. We will continue to treat each other well.”
The Lynx do have some new faces that will fill the roster once again this year, but players aren’t worried about how they will bond as a team to kick off the season. Whether it was during the offseason, workouts leading up to the start of training camp or the first few days of living in the bubble in Bradenton, players and coaches were given perhaps more time than normal to get to know each other off the court and build valuable relationships.
“We had some team meetings (during the offseason) and we have some idea of what our team basics are, so we weren’t coming in blind,” Lynx forward Napheesa Collier said. “I’m super excited about the roster. The team meetings have helped a lot because you got to meet everyone and feel out their personalities before we were all thrown together on the team, so that was nice. I really like everyone on the team and I feel like we have a lot of talent. I think we will all mesh really well.”
Although it will be weird not playing in Minneapolis and spending a full season in one location rather than traveling around the country, the Lynx feel they are already ahead of the curve when it comes to establishing relationships both on and off the court leading into the year.
“An extended road trip? Definitely, yes” Lynx center Sylvia Fowles said when talking about what it will be like to play every game in Florida. “I guess every game will be a road trip game here, so we just have to get used to pieces moving around us. I’m looking forward to kicking off this season and seeing how this pans out.
“Bonding is never a problem for us. I think we do a pretty good job at bonding before we even get on the court. Our personalities mesh and it’s a matter of just getting out on the court to get to know each other. The meshing part has been there since day one.”
MINNESOTA READY TO GET ROLLING
With the updated regular season schedule officially being released on Monday with every team now present at IMG Academy, Minnesota and the rest of the WNBA are finally able to start preparing for a season. Even one as unusual as the one about to begin.
Although the league will kick off on July 25 with a triple-header broadcast airing nationally on either ABC, ESPN or CBS Sports Network, the Lynx will officially tip off the 2020 campaign on July 26 when it begins the day of games at 11 a.m. (CT) against the Connecticut Sun on ESPN.
Basketball is back, and as happy as basketball fans will be to be able to finally watch live games on TV this month, the Lynx players were equally as excited to get back onto the court this week while preparing for a season unlike any other tipping off in a few short weeks.
“There are so many things out of our control right now and we can’t control the things that are going on in the world, but we can control our attitude,” Collier said. “We don’t want to be the team that’s complaining because everyone is in the exact same situation. If you’re complaining, us as a team, we can get ahead because as you are doing that we are getting ahead.
“You just have to stay positive. We are doing our best and we are here to play, which is what we all wanted.”
For more Minnesota sports news check out Zone Coverage.