Lynxs Cheryl Reeve became a rarity while on path to WNBA coaching history

MINNEAPOLIS — Cheryl Reeve waited a decade before getting a shot to be a WNBA head coach. She had been a part of WNBA franchises that folded or relocated.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Madeline Kenney about all things Liberty and WNBA.

Those difficult moments tested her conviction as she grinded as an assistant. Her family reminded her she held two degrees.Others suggested she coach college ball. But Reeve is stubborn as hell.

She knew what she wanted. “I’m a WNBA person,” she vividly recalls telling those around her.“If this thing goes down, I’m going down with it.

And I’m going to stick it out.” Look how that panned out. Twenty-six years later, and in the WNBA’s 30th season, Reeve is the all-time winningest head coach at a time when the league has never been more popular. Reeve, 59, captured her 380th regular-season win with the Minnesota Lynx Wednesday to unseat legendary coach Mike Thibault.She looks to potentially add to the record Saturday when the Lynx host the Liberty. Reeve’s persistence coupled with her competitive fire and sustained success have made her one of the greatest coaches of this millennium. Reeve is a four-time WNBA champion, vying for her fifth this season after many counted the Lynx out due to roster turnover and uncertainty heading into this campaign.

Fresh off of being inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame late last month, Reeve is a frontrunner for Coach of the Year, an award she’s won four times already. In a profession where people are hired to be fired, Reeve is a rarity.She’s a trademark of longevity, having spent the past 16-plus years with the Lynx. The key to her staying power is her success.

Making the playoffs is an expectation for the franchise under Reeve.As a result, Minnesota has gone to 14 of the past 15 postseasons and appeared in seven WNBA Finals during that span. Reeve on Friday recalled her early career ...