Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve adds Eric Thibault and Lindsay Whalen to her staff
MINNEAPOLIS — The Lynx added Minnesota great Lindsay Whalen and former Washington Mystics coach Eric Thibault to their coaching staff over the weekend.
"I am excited to add both Eric and Lindsay to our coaching staff," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. "Eric has vast experience coaching in the WNBA as both a head and an assistant coach and is a WNBA champion. Lindsay adds a unique perspective as a Lynx legend and Naismith Hall of Famer. I look forward to working with both in our quest for another WNBA championship."
The team officially announced Thibault and Whalen as part of the coaching staff on Monday.
Thibault, who was let go by the Mystics last month, will fill the role of associate head coach.
"I'm thrilled to be joining Cheryl's staff and to be part of the Minnesota Lynx organization," Thibault said. "The players and staff have built an incredible winning culture, and I'm excited to do my part as we pursue a WNBA championship."
Thibault had been head coach of the Mystics the past two seasons after spending the previous 10 as an assistant with the franchise.
"Once Cheryl called, it just seemed like a perfect fit to the point where you kind of had to question everything because it almost seemed too seamless of a fit," Thibault said.
Whalen helped lead the Lynx to four WNBA championships between 2011 and 2017 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.
"I'm so excited to be back with the Lynx and back with Coach and Becky (Rebekkah Brunson)," Whalen said. "Eric and I have also known each other for a long time, and for me, I couldn't imagine joining a better staff as I return to coaching and get my first opportunity to coach in the WNBA."
After her playing career was over, Whalen took over as the head coach at her alma mater, the University of Minnesota. Before she played for the Lynx, Whalen starred for Thibault's father, Mike, with the Connecticut Sun. She then hired Eric Thibault's sister, Carly, as associate head coach at Minnesota.
Whalen said cheering for the Lynx during their Finals run last season reinvigorated her desire to be around the game.
"Get to the point where you just miss being in the gym so bad, you just miss being at practice and at workouts and just having that time to really, really miss it," she said.
Reeve said Thibault and Whalen both having head coaching experience will be invaluable.
"For both of them, the experiences that they had as a head coach is what I'm going to covet the most," Reeve said. "They have been in the seat."
While their exact roles will be malleable, Reeve said she already sees niches each can fill. For Thibault, "a different perspective on our players is going to be really valuable," she said.
"I think for Lindsay … being an interpreter, especially at the position that she played and being able to communicate maybe at times with Courtney [Williams], if I'm saying something, maybe I'm trying to get something through. Generally speaking, Courtney understands, but I think a different voice for Courtney," Reeve said.
The Lynx reached the WNBA Finals this past season for the first time since Whalen played, falling to the New York Liberty in a decisive Game 5.
Earlier this offseason, former Lynx associate head coach Katie Smith left to coach at her alma mater, Ohio State.
