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How far can Sylvia Fowles lead Lynx Minnesota in her split season?


Minnesota Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve was used to hearing knocks on the door. Every morning during the WNBA season when she meets with her staff, Reeve knows Sylvia Fowles will visit.

“She came in, banged on the door, we know who it was,” Reeve said. “She hugged me, hello everyone. It doesn’t matter if Syl is upset or disagrees with something in a game. She always stops by… she always radiates great energy. such great.”

It was a ritual between them, a coach and player pair that was activated from day one Fowles – who has thrived under Reeve to cement his place as one of the best centre-backs. in women’s basketball history – joined Lynx in July 2015. Fowles will retire when their eighth and final season together ends this fall. How long will that last journey take? Long enough for more pop-ups in the morning, is hope.

The Lynx will need Fowles’ determination and energy. They have a 0-3 start to the 2022 WNBA season in less than a week. And while the losses in Seattle and at home to Washington aren’t exactly alarming, Minnesota fell in Indiana on Tuesday must remind some worries. Reeve and Fowles know Lynx will need to navigate the challenging waters in the final season of the legend.

Fowles’ 2021 Olympic teammates, forward Napheesa Collier, is expected to give birth this month, and the timetable for her return to Lynx remains uncertain. Striker Damiris Dantas (foot) and Natalie Achonwa (hamstring) injured, and protected Kayla McBride are still competing abroad. Guards Layshia Clarendon and Crystal Dangerfield (who had 10 points and six assists on Tuesday for the Rush against Minnesota) were all gone as Lynx had to make tough roster cuts. Only two of Minnesota’s seven top scorers from last season – Fowles and the keeper Power in the air – was on the Lynx lineup on opening weekend. And of course, forward Maya Moore is yet to officially retire but hasn’t played since 2018 after leaving basketball to work on social justice issues.

Fowles knows his responsibilities in 2022 will be more than simply playing the game.

Fowles, the league’s all-time recovery leader, said: “Over the past few years, I’ve had a lot of fun teaching. “Cheryl gave me that space to say the things I needed to say. Instead of everything that needed to come from her, some of that could have come from me. And my teammates responded well.”

“With this generation of young players you need to talk to them not in a negative way. The WNBA is so much faster, and when they get to this level you need to talk to them and let them know. It will be fine. “

The Lynx have reached the knockout stages 11 years in a row since their absence from the 2010 season, the first year of Reeve’s coaching tenure in Minnesota. It was a period that produced four WNBA titles and six Finals. Fowles, who sat out part of 2015 until getting the swap license she requested from Chicago, is the only core member of the Lynx championship teams still playing for Minnesota.

“The road probably has to look different than what we’re used to,” Reeve said of the 2022 season. “When you only have 10 players, you know things are going to happen. We have to be flexible. I had to make tough decisions. But the most important thing for us is how we do this.”

Reeve and Fowles both believe a healthy Lynx team can still make a post-season run, even in a WNBA that appears stacked near the top.

“Cheryl and her staff do a great job of making sure that we have the right people here to run our system and that our system works great for us,” Fowles said. “But we all need to understand what needs to be done day in and day out just to win a match in this tournament. What will differentiate you is who is motivated, who can go the longest and healthiest. And which team can stick together from start to finish.”

Staying positive and maintaining the team is a burden that will weigh on Fowles to a considerable extent, but she believes the task is in her hands. She’s built a reputation as the “rely on me” type even going back to her childhood.

“I really consider myself a mother to this team,” Fowles said. “Some of them just call me ‘auntie.'”

Fowles also said the process of becoming a respected leader was as difficult as some of the banners hanging from the Target Center rafters.

“There was some trial and error,” she said. “Whether it’s in the business world or the sports world, whether you’re sitting in the office or playing on the field, it’s very important to understand who you’re dealing with.

“Communication is one of the bigger pieces. I observe how other players react to the coach or to me and to each other. You want to work hard and be reliable, so someone can be. come to you and talk about things. But that also means being empathetic. Know when to be upfront and honest and when to backtrack in certain situations.”

The respect for Fowles that comes with player territory is a definite Hall of Fame pick. In his 15th season since being finished 2nd overall from LSU in 2008, Fowles has averaged 15.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks while shooting 59.7% from the field in the second half of the campaign. her WNBA career. She is the WNBA’s defensive player four times a year and has won four Olympic gold medals with the United States. Aside from a calf injury that kept her out for most of the 2020 bubble season, 36-year-old Fowles is mostly healthy and believes she can play for a few more years.

“When it comes to walking, you need to be really sure. She knows what she wants in her personal life, but she’s also been looking at a brand she cares deeply about.”

Minnesota Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve

But whenever this season ends, Fowles says she’s ready to make other commitments. She wants to spend time with her family, most of whom live in her hometown of Florida, for a start.

“The hardest thing in this career is family,” Fowles said. “I’m thinking about when my first grandson was 5 years old; now he’s 21. You miss him so much. I don’t want to have to sacrifice those things anymore. I want to spend more time with my mom.”

She also wants to start a family of her own.

“I froze my eggs when I was 30, so that’s something I’ve been contemplating for a while,” she says. “Now, I want kids. And that’s another big reason to retire; I don’t want to have to travel with the kids. I want to settle down and focus on them.”

“It gets to the point where you have all the hallmarks of what you think life is supposed to be and where you want to be at this age and what you want to accomplish.”

Fowles and Reeve discussed all of this shortly after Lynx’s 2021 season ended with a second-round loss to eventual champions Chicago. The two left that meeting because it was uncertain whether Fowles would return in 2022.

“Syl feels she still has a lot to give,” Reeve said. “She’s preparing for a tough season. But when it comes to walking you need to be really sure. She knows what she wants in her personal life, but she’s also been looking at a brand. that she cares deeply about.”

Reeve also noted how circumstances prevented Lynx from having a “breakup season” for other franchise favorites. Lindsay Whalen and Rebekkah Brunson have not announced their retirement before their final season. Seimone Augustus spent his final season playing for Los Angeles Sparks in 2020. Moore, who will turn 33 in June, has an uncertain future with the team and basketball.

“We haven’t had anyone on that proper final trip yet, so to speak,” Reeve said. “We wanted to make sure Syl’s final journey was the best it could be.”

Fowles’ love for the Lynx is palpable; She says the championship teams she has played with are more special than she can put into words. But right now, she wants to put everything into 2022, both for young Lynx players who haven’t been through it all she has and veterans like Angel McCoughtrywho is in her first season in Minnesota.

“I feel like I learned what motivates people, when you need to work harder and when you need to come back,” Fowles said.

Whether her star player’s celebrated final season includes team glory is a question that will unfold over the next five months, but Reeve knows Fowles’ daily presence – in a way. Consistent approach begins with a morning knock – giving the 2022 Lynx a fighting chance.

“I don’t care what our records say,” Reeve said. “We’ll be a team that takes pride in the way we handle our challenges. We’ll have each other’s backs at every turn. It’s going to be a successful season.”



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