Lindsay Whalen and Maya Moore looked around.

Yep, it was just them.

Whalen and Moore are the only players part of last season’s training camp at The Courts at Mayo Clinic Square for the first day of camp this year.

Players like Sylvia Fowles and Renee Montgomery were on the team last season, but were part of trades and weren’t part of Training Camp.

What about All-Stars Seimone Augustus and Rebekkah Brunson?

The two are fulfilling overseas commitments. But those are two players who know the team inside and out. For players like Fowles, Montgomery and recently-acquired wing Jia Perkins, it’s a chance to dive it to the organization and see how the team works in camp.

Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve also thinks it will be a good opportunity to alter the offense a bit to benefit Fowles.

“As we learn more about (Fowles) doing some more to highlight having a center,” Reeve said. “Getting her the ball deep, which I thought we did a decent job of with the time we spent together. And then integrating her into more of the things that we do.”

Fowles and Montgomery were both able to find success with the Lynx last season. The question is whether or not Perkins, a former All-Star, can fit in. But with her experience and the respect she’s earned in the league, the Lynx don’t think that should be an issue.

“Jia definitely brings depth,” Maya Moore said. “She’s willing to defend. She’s a scorer; she knows how to score the basketball. It’ll open things up as far as driving lanes because people can’t leave her… That veteran poise, skill, she seems very excited to be here.”

Fighting For Spots

With Brunson and Augustus out of camp right now, it’s a chance for some new faces to make an impression with the team’s coaching staff. This especially means Bashaara Graves, the team’s second-round draft pick this year.

Graves will be limited in camp with a fractured left pinky finger. She has undergone surgery and has a splint on it, but the forward was able to do more than Reeve thought she would be able to do on day one.

“Right now she has to get healthy,” Reeve said. “… I think she’ll get really good opportunities, really good reps. We’ve just talked to her about following in the steps of (Fowles) and (Brunson) when she’s here.”

Also look for Courtney Williams and Keisha Hampton to make a run at a roster spot. Unlike most seasons, there’s an opportunity for some new faces to make the team.

Paying Respect To Prince

The team reflected on the sad news that Prince had died on Thursday morning. Prince, of course, was a huge Minnesota basketball fan. That included him attending last season’s Game 5 of the WNBA Finals

After the game, Prince invited the team over for a private concert at Paisley Park.

It was a memory nobody on the team will ever forget, making Thursday’s news that much tougher to swallow for members of the team.

“It’s tough because I’m from Minnesota and you have a big sense of pride that he’s from here and he stayed here and lived here,” Whalen said. “We got to have an unbelievable experience that night when he brought us out there. We’ll always be thankful for that time.”