Minnesota Lynx select Olivia Miles, Connecticut Sun pick Duluth's Gianna Kneepkens
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The Minnesota Lynx selected TCU’s Olivia Miles second overall in Monday’s WNBA Draft.
The point guard is known for her stealthy passes. She averaged nearly 20 points and 7 assists per game this season, leading the Horned Frogs to an Elite Eight NCAA tournament appearance.
“The anticipation is unlike anything I've ever felt before,” Miles said in a post-selection interview. “And then to actually hear it and to have your dreams come true, it's amazing.”
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said they wanted a point guard who could “generate easy baskets, on time, on target.”
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“She’s just really gifted,” Reeve said in a post-draft press conference.
Reeve said even though Miles is a rookie, she plans on having her on the court.
“Maybe I can shed some of this idea that we don’t play rookies,” Reeve said.
Reeve compared the talented guard to that of Lindsay Whalen, now a Lynx assistant coach. Miles mentioned Whalen in her post-draft selection speech.
During that speech, Miles revealed her parents’ and brother’s names embroidered inside her jacket, along with the date of the draft.
It was a moment that stood out to Minnesota fan, Elise Goodwin, who has attended Lynx games since the team’s beginning.
Goodwin was one of more than a hundred fans who crowded the Target Center with faces aglow under the jumbotron waiting for the Lynx’s selection. She, along with the rest of the group, cheered as WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced Miles’ name.
“The jacket was so sweet and so beautiful. Oh gosh, it made me cry,” Goodwin said. “It's so sweet. I love it. Like, what a way to honor her family, and I love it.”
Miles said she added the names in homage to all those who supported her throughout her life, including when she tore her right ACL in 2023 while playing with Notre Dame. She finished her college career at Texas Christian University.
With the final pick in the draft, the Lynx selected Utah guard Lani White.
Coach Reeve: ‘We'll find our way forward’
Like many in the league, Reeve knew free agency and the new collective bargaining agreement that allows for higher salary caps never before seen in the WNBA would usher change, but it didn’t make those decisions any easier.
“It sucks for the Minnesota Lynx to have our team broken up this way. But this is life,” Reeve said. “We'll find our way forward and be fans of all those players that gave so much to the Lynx.”
That includes Natisha Hiedeman, Alanna Smith, Jessica Shepard, DiJonai Carrington, Bridget Carleton and Maria Kliundikova.
Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams will return this season after re-signing.
The Lynx signed two veteran players: Minnesota native Nia Coffey and former Lynx player Natasha Howard.
“I think Tash will tell you that we always thought we'd be back together at some point,” Reeve said. “When she left, she was a young player playing behind Rebekkah Brunson and Sylvia Fowles, and wanted to go, kind of spread her wings, and boy, did she.”
Coffey, a Hopkins alum, has played with the Atlanta Dream the past four seasons.
“That's another player, you know, still young and really motivated to improve her game and to be utilized stylistically,” Reeve said. “We think defensively she'll be helpful.”
Reeve, a four-time WNBA champion coach, said the new higher salaries will transform the rapidly growing game.
“This is professional sports, and I think we’ve just entered into a completely brand new era,” Reeve said.
Duluth’s Gianna Kneepkens picked in first round
UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens had more to celebrate this week as she was chosen as the final pick in the first round by the Connecticut Sun.
The Duluth native won the NCAA championship earlier this month.
Her parents cried after Kneepkens was announced. Her brothers, whom she grew up learning to play basketball with, were also in the crowd.
However, in an interview after the pick, she clarified which of her five siblings fostered her electric shooting ability.
“Not any of them,” she joked.
One fan in the Target Center crowd, Paul Baudhuin of St. Louis Park, made sure to shout out Duluth during Kneepkens’ selection.
“I’m just a huge fan of Minnesota sports. I love seeing Minnesota athletes succeed,” he said. “There’s a lot of talent in Minnesota when it comes to women’s basketball. I’d love for them to stay here, but it’s great to see them get out there and succeed.”
