Todd Barin

Web Editorial Associate

@Todd_Barin

Day No. 2 of training camp is officially in the books for the Minnesota Lynx as they were back on the court on Monday learning plays and getting to know one another.

“So far it’s been good, we’ve had two days, putting in some plays, working with each other, there are a lot of new faces for all of us, so it’s been good,” Veteran guard Lindsay Whalen said after camp. “I thought today was better than yesterday and now we’ll continue to add some more stuff, add some defense with it and make sure we’re executing. Definitely some areas to improve after a couple of days, but overall I feel like everyone is feeling good about the progress we’ve made, even in two days.”

With Rebekkah Brunson and Seimone Augustus still being absent due to playing overseas, and having seven players who haven’t been on the roster for even a month, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve has a tough challenge on her hands in preparing the team for their first preseason game on May 4th.

“I think for the new ones, we have 12 players here and there are ten of them that are new to our camp,” Reeve said. “In order to be successful in a short period of time, there are little things that you have to do. Connecting with your teammates is of paramount importance, communication, eye contact, body language, those sort of things that you can control, really helps the process of trying to learn quickly together.”

Lindsay Whalen

Reeve will be relying on the more experienced players a little more than usual this training camp, like Whalen, to lead the newcomers and teach them what it takes to be a Championship team.

Fortunately for the coaching staff, the squad and Whalen herself, the five-time All-WNBA guard is coming into this season healthy and rested.

Whalen decided against playing overseas this past offseason, but did play after the 2014 season because not only did she miss playing basketball, but the money was good as well.

“Then at the end of last year (2015) I was like, ‘it’s not really fun to play injured,’” Whalen said. “I never really felt healthy (during our playoff run), so I just wanted to be healthy and feel good. There were a couple of times where there were a couple of teams, things that I almost went and did, but I’m really glad now that I didn’t. Just these first two days, I’m feeling really good, I have a ton of energy coming into practice and I’m excited for every day.”

Whalen missed five total games last season due to injury, so not only did taking time off in the winter months help her physically, but mentally as well.

“Maybe even more (mentally) because there are so many years of missing things and missing holidays and I was able to do a lot of that this year,” Whalen said. “I was able to do a lot of family stuff, just be home and having a lot of chill nights at the house watching Netflix was just kind of needed without having to kind of be gearing up for something.”

The 5’8 guard from Hutchinson, Minn. is excited and ready for the upcoming season and according to her coach, taking the time to get healthy off the court seems to be showing in her play.

“In terms of how she looks to me, I think she looks fresh,” Reeve said. “And I think for Lindsay, not only the freshness mentally, the body but also the great work she put in. When you get older, it’s about managing, it’s about endurance, it’s about flexibility, so she has really committed herself to those things that don’t involve dribbling a basketball. I think she looks great.”