Cheryl Reeve officially became the head coach with the most wins in WNBA history, and that's just one reason she's leading the Coach of the Year race at the season's halfway mark. Can you believe we're already at the midway point? The WNBA awards race is getting intense, and the COTY trophy is absolutely up for grabs, with Reeve making a legendary case.
Reeve Rewrites the Record Books and Reality
You wanna talk about overachieving? Usually, the Coach of the Year award goes to someone who took their team to unexpected heights. But Reeve is doing that while coaching the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx! Think about it: this was supposed to be a step backward season for Minnesota. They're without Napheesa Collier, and they're rolling with rookie guard Olivia Miles who is just shaking up the league. Yet, Reeve hasn't just kept them afloat, she's made them the best team in the WNBA. She's got them at the top, a force to be reckoned with, and now she holds the record for most wins ever by a WNBA head coach. Talk about making a statement.Expansion Teams Stealing the Show
But Reeve isn't the only one making waves. Natalie Nakase, head coach of the Golden State Valkyries, is absolutely crushing it. Last year, she led an expansion team to the playoffs. This year? They're only a half-game back of the Lynx for the league's top spot and are considered one of the best teams in the WNBA. The craziest part? They're doing it without any individual stars lighting up the stat sheet. Gabby Williams is their leading scorer, but she's 27th in the league. Veronica Burton is their assist leader, 12th in the WNBA. Kayla Thornton leads in rebounds, but she's 30th overall. Nakase has taken a group of good players and forged them into a united force. If they keep this up, she could absolutely go back-to-back as COTY. Don't sleep on Alex Sarama either, coaching the expansion Portland Fire. He's kept them competitive, just two games back of a playoff spot. How? By getting incredible performances out of players other teams saw as replaceable. Carla Leite has doubled her point total from her rookie season. Sarah Ashlee Barker is averaging 10.7 points and shooting 48.9 percent from the field, a huge improvement from her Los Angeles Sparks days. And Bridget Carleton, after seven years with the Lynx, is having a breakout year, averaging 13.5 points per game and playing her best basketball. Sarama is the architect behind these turnaround stories, and that's why Portland is still in the mix. The WNBA's Coach of the Year race is officially in full swing, and with the season's second half kicking off, every game will show us who truly deserves to hoist that trophy.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.