Finishing with the WNBA's best regular-season record has its rewards. And the Lynx will start collecting a few Friday.
Forward Maya Moore will be recognized as the league's Rookie of the Year and Cheryl Reeve as the Coach of the Year before the Lynx-San Antonio playoff game Friday at Target Center.
Moore averaged 13.2 points and 1.4 steals per game and made 58 three-pointers -- all rookie bests. The former University of Connecticut star also averaged 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game, which ranks second and third, respectively, among first-year pros. The 6-foot Moore actually had one more rebound (157) than Liz Cambage, but Tulsa's 6-8 center finished one-tenth of a percentage point higher because she played one fewer game.
In college, Moore was a four-time All-America player and won three Wade Trophies for being the national player of the year. But she said this award is special. "It's unique," Moore said. "This is a whole new level of competition, having success as a rookie in the WNBA, against the best of best in the world, is pretty cool."
Reeve, in her second season, led the Lynx to a 27-7 record.
"This award is extremely humbling knowing the company I am keeping," Reeve said. "There are a lot of great coaches in this league. And it signals that my players had one heck of a season."
Reeve was an assistant coach with three other WNBA teams over nine years before the Lynx hired her. She has one year left on her contract.
Will Lynx executive vice president Roger Griffith tear that contract up now and give her a nice salary increase? "That would be a great idea," Reeve said.
