OK, finally. The Lynx stayed in contention for several awards and so we weren’t able to close out the 2023-2024 season until now. Please check my previous posts for more details on all of the winners.
Team of the Year
Wow, there turned out to be 4 really good contenders–the Minnesota Lynx, the Minnesota State (Mankato) men, the Minnesota State (Mankato) women, and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lynx of course won the WNBA title.
The Mankato men and women pulled the remarkable bi-fecta. Both won NCAA D2 titles, which has happened only once before in history and will probably never happen again.
The Timberwolves had their 2nd best season in 35 years.
In an average year, any one of them would be good enough to win. The Team of the Year is a tie between the Minnesota State (Mankato) men (35-2), and the Minnesota State (Mankato) women (32-5).
The Mankato men previously won the award in 1947. The Mankato women previouly won the award in 1986 and 2009.
Coach of the Year
This one comes down to Chris Finch and Cheryl Reeve. Not that winning the D2 championship is a walk in the park or anything. But both the Timberwolves and Lynx were bouncing back from a position of weakness–the Wolves of course having been weak for most of 35 years, the Lynx the past 2 years. In any average year, either one would be the winner.
The Coach of the Year is Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx. Reeve previously won the award in 2013, 2015 and 2017.
Game of the Year
It’s hard to know what to pick. How to pick. There are BIG games and there are exciting games. Sometimes one game is both that BIG and that exciting. It is very hard not to pick Gustavus’ (the men) big win at Carleton in an MIAC semi-final, 124-116 in 2 OT. In an ordinary year, this would be the winner.
But the Game of the Year is the Timberwolves 115-70 demolition of the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets in game 6, for the Wolves an eliminatin game, of their conference semi-final. This is the first time that the Wolves have ever won the Game of the Year.
Player of the Year
It comes down to Joey Batt, Napheesa Collier and Anthony Edwards. In any ordinary year, meaning that only one of them would have done what they did, any one of them would be the winner.
The Player of the Year is Anthony Edwards. This is Edwards first POY award.
