WNBA: Former La Salle Star Cheryl Reeve Being Named New Minnesota Coach
(updating)
By Mel Greenberg
Former La Salle star Cheryl Reeve from South Jersey is set to be named the new coach of the Minnesota Lynx Tuesday afternoon, multiple sources familiar with the decision have confirmed
The Lynx announced a press conference earlier Tuesday morning.
Additionally, the WNBA will announce Tuesday a dispersal date of the Sacramento roster after the league was unable to get a deal done to move the Monarchs to the Bay Area. Late last month the Maloof family gave up ownership rights to maintain focus on their NBA Sacramento Kings.
A source no longer connected with the WNBA but familiar with the Minnesota situation said that interim Lynx coach Jennifer Gillom is heading elsewhere after the sides couldn't get a deal done.
That would leave her as a likely prize for the Los Angeles Sparks, which is looking for a replacement for Michael Cooper, who left after the season to coach the Southern Cal women.
Reeve, a former Detroit Shock assistant Cheryl Reeve, has ties to former Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer, who is in the Minnesota organization on the NBA side as an assistant.
When Laimbeer left Detroit three games into the 2009 season prior to his accepting the Timberwolves job, Rick Mahorn became the head coach and Reeve became an assistant and general manager.
She also served as an assistant in the former Charlotte franchise to Anne Donovan, who had the interim tag removed in New York last week when she was given the Liberty job outright.
Reeve could not be reached for comment in the last 48 hours.
She also served as an assistant at George Wasington to Joe McKeown, the Father Judge graduate now coaching at Northwestern.
Reeve also had a brief stint as head coach at Indiana State.
If Reeve is named, the move would make Minnesota a player for Shock star Katie Smith, who is a free agent and recently told ESPN.com she won't follow the former Detroit franchise to Tulsa.
Smith said she was more interested in a fit with the coaching staff than whether the team is going to be a title contender in 2010. Minnesota, which has a young, talented group and holds the No. 1 and No. 4 picks in the next draft, might jump into contention if Smith's back allows her to continue her career.
She also has previous playing time with the Lynx before the one-sided trade with Detroit that helped the Shock win two more titles following their 2003 triumph.
The Olympic gold winner could also land in Seattle with coach Brian Angler, whom she played for with the two-time champion Columbus Quest in the former American Basketball League and then with Minnesota.
-- More to come.
-- Mel