Cheryl Reeve Sends Harsh Reality Check to 'Surviving' Lynx Players

The Minnesota Lynx have arguably been the steadiest, most consistent, and arguably best WNBA franchise this century. This is shown by them having four WNBA championships, which is tied with the Houston Comets (who won the league's first four titles) and the Seattle Storm.
One huge reason for the Lynx's sustained success is Cheryl Reeve, who has been the team's head coach since 2010. She was also named Minnesota's GM in 2017 before becoming their president of basketball operations in 2022, a role she still holds (along with also still being head coach).
Reeve's gritty, blue-collar, and brutally honest coaching style has made her the have the highest winning percentage, given her the most wins of any female coach, and won the most postseason games of any coach in WNBA history.
She hasn't made this history by ever mincing words and shying away from being blunt. And this was proven again when Reeve spoke with the media on April 30.
When asked about her players' training camp performance, Reeve said, "This was a really good day of reality. Which ones take today and can understand how to respond on Friday, anything new that we throw at them... The next set of days are the ones where it really starts to happen, because you see the ones that are really starting to get it, and can perform and not survive," per an X post from Andrew Dukowitz of Zone Coverage.
"We had some that were out there surviving today, and that’s not a great place to be," she continued.
Cheryl Reeve on the performance of players on day 4 of camp
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) April 30, 2025
“This was a really good day of reality… you see the ones that are really starting to get it, and can perform and not survive. We had some that were out there surviving today and that’s not a great place to be” pic.twitter.com/CTX22pZ09w
The Lynx's first round of roster cuts will likely speak volumes when trying to figure out which "surviving" players Reeve was alluding to.
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Grant Young covers women’s basketball for Women’s Fastbreak and Indiana Fever On SI. His coverage centers on league trends and the growth of women’s basketball, both on and off the court. He also creates digital content focused on the sport’s biggest moments and personalities.
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