Whalen’s 15th Season Will Be A Bit Different

Lindsay Whalen entered training camp on Sunday ahead of her 15th WNBA season.

Time flies.

This is season is a bit different for Whalen as she’s aiming for her fifth ring with the Lynx, and the first back-to-back championship during the team’s dynasty.

Earlier in April, Whalen was named the head coach of the University of Minnesota women’s program. An honor, certainly, but also a huge challenge for Whalen. But it’s one that she thinks she can manage on both sides.

“I think it will be day to day,” Whalen said after Sunday’s practice. “I think I’ll get into a rhythm . . . It will obviously be a different routine, but I’m looking forward to figuring out what that is. A lot of that is time management and prioritizing.”

One player who is also familiar with the Gophers program is rookie wing Carlie Wagner, who was the team’s third-round draft pick earlier this month. She was an incredible scorer during her time in college, but she’ll now face the challenge of cracking a championship roster.

“Practicing with her the last bunch of years (with the Gophers) has been fun,” Whalen said. “Great career, great scorer. Obviously a really good athlete.”

The Lynx have new faces on the team – a mix of rookies and veterans. But the one constant throughout the years has been coach Cheryl Reeve, who is widely considered the best coach in the WNBA. Whalen said Reeve opened up camp the way she does every season, laying out the goals for the season and making sure everyone entered camp with the same mindset.

“It was good. We got a workout in . . . Coach is so great here on the first day. Kind of lays out what we do here and what our expectations are. What you need to do as an individual to be successful as a team.”

The Lynx have their second practice of the season on Monday.