u/ElvisTheBoyCat

- pleased with execution on both ends during 4q comeback, similar to other 4q efforts this season. Defensive rebounding and 1-1 defensive containment continue to be weaknesses.

- carleton 3pt contest invite; practicing with the racks and the format over the past week. always gets to right spots, really has improved spacing and working off screens to get higher % looks. has really expanded her bag and creating her own shot (something she struggled with in MIN)

- barker loss; heart and soul player, especially missed on defense. couldn't have asked for more from the group how they responded. no update, waiting on eval from performance team

- rotations when a heavy minute player is out; rotation tracking with ac (brittni) donaldson helps give boundaries which we fill in during specific situations, similar to responding to someone in foul trouble

- not calling a timeout during last play; a core cla philosophy is decision making during chaotic situations. the carleton shot presented was an advantageous situation as she'd just made two turnaround jumpers and wanted to play it with pace rather than stopping the play from unfolding. had the t/o available if the situation hadn't unfolded as favorably as it did. would make the same decision again.

phee --

-- like a kid in a candy store. did need the first sub to settle in, but my teammates always have my back (kmac's vigorous nod)

-- set defensive goals today; rebounds, deflections. it'll take time to come back and settle in. being very goal oriented helps me stay focused, but focusing on defense more helps with that. did have thoughts about her ankles during the game. there is a mental side to it and it's a long process, but that eventually goes out the window once the game gets going

-- mac's put the lynx on her back. watching her aggression, shot making, defense during this streak. huge reason i wanted to get back on the court is because she's watching kmac having so much fun. deserves to be an all-star

-- from the sideline, so proud of this new team and all the newcomers. the way everyone's bought in and what it takes to get to the top of the standings, especially with the #1 rookie and an mvp candidate.

kmac --

-- as long as i've been a lynx, i've been with phee. feel like i can take a deep breath. knowing everything she went through behind the scenes, so fun to see phee back on the court doing her thing at a high level. everything falls into place

-- did a great job managing phee's minutes in first game back. didn't want to focus on phee being back, we'll play our game and phee will find her spots, and she did once she got more comfortable. above anything i could've expected. number 24 scores 24 on her return. she had to make hard plays at hard times; bodes well for return after all star break

-- expectations for phee on return; a lot of it is that she's excited, nervous, anxious. process is an evolution and we're not done. getting her back today is a big step, working on conditioning and catching up with the rest of the league.

-- individually, didn't feel it once the game started, but yesterday celebrated her making the next step to playing. in-game, need to do the right thing by her and manage her minutes appropriately and not deviating from that just to chase a win. happy for her, but it's one game

-- first half defense wasn't great, not getting basic concepts in. held seattle to 31 in second half, so got closer to true lynx defensive identity. seattle had some open threes, but this time, they didn't make them as opposed to the previous game. happy to go into the break that the defensive effort still matters to the team, gutting out two road wins

We all know Courtney is, well, Courtney

For those unfamiliar with the legend that is Coach BB, her participation in this will be appointment-viewing.

and here I was only psyched about the 3pt contest.

don't mess with me cheryl

i need this like the desert needs the rain

liv-

-- we know when our team needs us, we know to step up. seeing court and kmac ball out and be aggressive feeds me to step up

-- teams in this league are good, and the more film and data you have, teams can exploit our coverages. like cheryl says, it's not schemes, it's effort. we'll find a way to rise above it as we learn each other as a team. special when you can walk away with a win and know you can still be better

-- high five with awa after being blocked, rook supporting rook, just have to give it to her. flau also with a big game. league growing in right direction

court -

-- all we can do is try out best to improve our defense. another game against seattle to do that

-- need to put defensive efforts together for 40 mins, from all five on the court. some possessions some are on the same page, some aren't. can be something as simple as someone not being in on low help, then rotation gets thrown off. little things missed can build to bigger things

-- where can i fit in when kmac and liv are balling out to help us win

-- timeout discussion at 5.47 4q - have to string stops together, stop fouling, protect the paint.

-- offensive efforts from kmac, liv & court have been prolific of late, especially in light of the defense being poor lately.

-- ball movement & shot selection was better in 4Q and able to make the adjustments to get the win however they needed to get it

-- rotations are happening at certain points in the quarter, then give out time based on how people are playing and responding

-- very basic areas of defense aren't being covered. team knows what the challenges are. ask them

shooter gonna shoot 🇨🇦 🇨🇦

Just in time for WNBA All-Star Weekend, GQ featured Lynx Guard Courtney Williams and Storm Guard Natisha Hiedeman.

(Also good for some counter-programming #iykyk)

"Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman did not necessarily know the extent to which their lives would change last summer when, at the start of the 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, they hit record on yet another Twitch livestream. They were teammates on the Minnesota Lynx at the time, and just a few months into a nascent, ad hoc streaming partnership, for which they’d dubbed themselves the Studbudz. (The “stud” in question is a title for a Black, masc-leaning lesbian; the Z, Hiedeman says, was as obvious as dropping the “The” from Facebook: “We just needed a little spizazz.”) The plan—hatched during a stream earlier in the season—was to live-record their All-Star Weekend shenanigans for 72 straight hours. No filter, no edit."

Full feature --->>> https://www.gq.com/story/wnba-studbudz

filed under "duh"

Minnesota Lynx Guard Kayla McBride Named Western Conference Player of the Week

Tue, Jul 21, 2026, 11:40 AM

Minneapolis/St. Paul – The WNBA today announced Lynx guard Kayla McBride has been named the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from July 13-19. The weekly honor is the second of her career and her first since Aug. 5, 2025.

During the week, the 5-11 guard averaged 28.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 28-of-47 (59.6%) from the floor and 12-of-27 (44.4%) from three across three contests. McBride currently ranks third in the WNBA in three-pointers made (71), fourth in free-throw percentage (90.7%), ninth in steals (1.6 spg) and 10th in scoring (18.1 ppg).

The Erie, Pa., native scored 37 points on July 13 against the Phoenix Mercury, shooting 11-of-17 (64.7%) from the floor and 6-of-11 (54.5%) from beyond the arc while adding six rebounds, four steals and a career-high-tying two blocks. With the performance, McBride and teammate Olivia Miles became the first duo in franchise history to each score at least 30 points in the same game. On July 15 against the Los Angeles Sparks, the guard totaled 24 points on 8-of-16 (50.0%) shooting from the field and 6-of-7 (85.7%) shooting from the free-throw line. Against the Portland Fire on July 18, McBride recorded 24 points on 9-of-14 (64.3%) shooting from the floor and 4-of-8 (50.0%) from deep, moving into 20th on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list (5,879) and passing Becky Hammon.

McBride has scored at least 20 points in seven consecutive games, marking the longest such streak of her career. She is currently averaging 18.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and a career-high 1.6 steals per game while shooting a career-best 45.9% from the floor and 39.4% from three this season.

The Lynx will take on the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on Wednesday, July 22, at 2:00 p.m. CT. Fans can watch the game on Victory+.

https://lynx.wnba.com/news/minnesota-lynx-guard-kayla-mcbride-named-western-conference-player-of-the-week-2

-- ceremonies like the ones for syl are good reminders for the current players about what the franchise is all about, what to aim for. you can also see the impact syl is having in portland

-- no excuses for defense against portland. we knew portland would make more shots, we knew bridget would be better second time around. some of it is settling in and needing to adjust. right now, we're not good enough defensively. we're outscoring people, but it's not a long-term path to success. as coaches, how can we help

--transisiton defensive assignments are getting spotty. we're not concerned about "who's my player," we need to pick up the player in front of me, 1 on 1. bigs did well with switching, guards struggled. there's concern about giving up 3pt shots to PDX, but that means they get to score in the paint, and tonight, PDX shot 13/33 from 3pt, so they got everything they wanted

-- it's easy for bc to celebrate in front our bench. we've wanted to see that side of bc for years, happy to know the lynx were a part of her growth

-- kosu and juhász had good games. kosu had the kind of defensive game we want. dorka was confident and feeling it. aggressive from the outside, opportunistic about cutting

-- having the legends around in practices, with the team, they continue to care about the franchise. can't help to have the stories flow. i'm thankful for them and wish we could have them back more often

-- liv turnovers; not concerned. wants to see her learning possession by possession

-- likes having the baseball style game schedule like the upcoming seattle games

I would assume "Pancake's Mama" is still an option, but otherwise Megan DiLeo it is.

i've been derelict on keeping up with the postgame pressers. real life is wild times right now. but i did manage to make it to camp day at targét centre and aside from the dub, THIS made taking the three hours off from adulting worth it

KMac --

--ceiling is up to us. every game is different, but when you show up for each other, you figure out a way to win. adding a MVP candidate to the mix gets us excited

-- as a shooter, when you see a team going zone, you get ready to feast. also wanting to pull out the win at home. start out slow, but be confident in your shot and feed off your teammate's belief in you. once the crowd pops after making a big one, you get activated and step up.

-- Court is one of the best rebounding guards ever. she didn't want to talk about her FG percentage, but she always finds a way to help us win.

-- shouted out mom and girlfriend in the front row, miss shots, make shots, those are the people who love you unconditionally. mom loves me as kayla, not mcbuckets

-- feels so small when guarding up stewie. facing a big lineup, just about finding a way to press up and count on your teammates to help out

Liv --

-- feels great to be back. different feeling when you're just watching versus being there on the floor with your team. have an appreciation for being on the court. good to have a little mental break, having been playing since November.

-- big o-board in the last possession to seal the win. could've gotten low on the missed FTs, high on the threes, but staying mentally balanced and focused helps deliver in clutch situation. big shout out to Nia on that last o-board.

-- psychologically important to bounce back and beat a team you just lost to, grow from mistakes, will help down the road especially in the post-season.

-- soccer background, agility and graceful movement in soccer helps with passing and finding people on the court.

-- KMac 3pt shooting was huge. team needs someone to pull through in those clutch situations, and it was her this game.

-- didn't come out well in 3Q aganist NYL zone, not scoring, couldn't find footing, got to 4Q and sorted themselves out. rebounding, especially court and nia, improved a lot in the final frame.

-- hard to know what spacing will look like when Phee is ready. don't know what game situations will bring. feel it out, trial and error. no date on return, but getting close.

-- Liv struggled to start, miss a week and sometimes the pace on first game back throws someone off. she worked through it, found the space as the game went on. what we're asking of her as a rookie on top team, and how she receives it and doesn't shy away from it, is special.

-- finding the balance between crashing five on the boards vs getting back on transition. this season's team is the best o-board team she's coached. have some schemes they're using off of o-boards, today those were successful.

-- thrilled to hear 12k were there & upper deck was open.

--shout out the Aurora; we'll cheer them on and help them win a ship.

-we don't see a lot of zone, so spent time working through that. Howard's speed around the rim and o-board skillset is something we rely on to solve those defenses.

-- Nards staying ready and filling in to start, did well defending Canada

-- best game of the year setting up PnR, big Meg/Serah games as a result

-- still gave up fair amount in transition, but shot the ball so well it evened out

-- rebounding the cause of team struggles with poor defensive net rating, so what they gain in improving rebounding numbers, they'll give up with transition opportunities. with SAB out, good to see rest of the team step up on boards

-- development is everything; want fire to be #1 destination for player development, pleased to see the jump for Frieda & Serah. seeing the return on playing full 10 players off the bench in rotations. working with frieda on not hesitating; go with first-shot decision making. with Serah, she's earned minutes with her defense, but working on improving her offense in a modern PnR scheme.

-- seven players with double digit scoring, two with double-doubles. focus on initiating through PnR spacing, but also perimeter spacing against opposing guards. as a result, we have options for players who can score double digits on any given night.

-- once news came out that Reese was out, key player focus on Howard. Rhyne got some open looks, but defense did well on closeouts, not allowing her a lot of time or space.

i know i usually add a summary with these, but i can't tonight, so you'll just have to watch it

KMac -

-- she (cheryl) changed the trajectory of my career, so celebrating this moment, the standard of excellence of the organization, it starts with cheryl. i'm excited and proud of her

-- we're an intentional team and we know who we are in comparison to a team like the aces. we know where we're and we know where we want to be. we like where we are; got dorky back, phee back soon. season's long and hard and we're taking it one step at a time

-- cheryl doesn't care about the record. she cares about winning, and that's been her focus. happy about how we gutted out the win, especially from the bench; dorky, ola, toni, eliška

-- 4q change was about getting stops. at 70-70, noted momentum shifts that started with defensive stops from the second unit, had the best +/- of the team. they were doing their thing, and she was just out there having fun with it

Dorka -

-- first game back was rusty, just needed to get back into rhythm. confidence from her teammates, had court in her ear about taking her shots. the shot with seven seconds left "it was a little bit risky" good to see her threes fall in.

-- 4q run, has played with toni before, so knows her game well. she's always a spark off the bench, great defender, smart player who reads the game well, plays with a lot of confidence.