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How Cheryl Reeve became WNBA Executive of the Year: A play in four acts

MINNEAPOLIS, MN- JULY 17: Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx high-fives teammates before the game against the Seattle Storm on July 17, 2019 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN- JULY 17: Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx high-fives teammates before the game against the Seattle Storm on July 17, 2019 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
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Continued Chemistry

Only five players from the 2018 Minnesota Lynx roster returned in 2019, including captains Danielle Robinson and Sylvia Fowles. Seimone Augustus came back, too. But after the majority of their teammates left, they easily could have done the same. (After all, it can get really cold here in the offseason.)

But they didn’t.

It’s fair to say that’s thanks to Reeve and the positive atmosphere she’s helped create in her ten years at the helm in Minnesota. Many of the Lynx’s new faces felt welcomed right away, particularly Brown and Sims, but everyone has mentioned the community aspect in some way this year.

Though the 2019 season ended sooner than some wanted it to, it could still be seen as a success. Not many – outside of the Lynx themselves, that is – expected the team to compete this year, much less make it to the playoffs again. But they did. And as Reeve told the Star Tribune Wednesday, she and the team are looking ahead to the future.

“We’re not done getting this thing where it needs to be,” she said. “I don’t want to be a perennial single-elimination team.

“Our culture is set higher than that. We have a lot of work to do.’’

It’s an exciting time for the Minnesota Lynx. New players and veterans are joining together to make things happen – thanks to a familiar and friendly face in Cheryl Reeve.

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