Introducing the Class of 2026 Beyond Basketball
The Berenson Trophy is given to each inductee, named after founder of women’s basketball Senda Berenson. The Beyond the Berenson series is designed to tell the stories of the members of the Class of 2026 outside of their extraordinary basketball accomplishments. The Class of 2026 features some of the greatest players, coaches, and contributors that women’s basketball has ever seen. All-time wins leader in WNBA history Cheryl Reeve is one of them.
Cheryl Reeve: The Pursuit of Greatness
Cheryl Reeve was a computer science major who wasn’t thinking about coaching as a profession. Until one day during the camp counselor games at the Cathy Rush Basketball Camp.
Reeve recalls being in the huddle with her team like it was yesterday. “The feeling of them returning to the court and executing and the joy. I’ll never forget it,” Reeve remembers. “And to me, that was the spark for me, because I wasn’t thinking about it before.”
“That moment I had on the court was the one that told me that maybe I should pursue professional coaching.” And the rest is history.
Reeve spent the first day of her legendary WNBA career in the draft room with the Charlotte Sting in 2001.
“I love watching players and projecting, and I love the transacting and just the formulation of a roster,” Reeve says.
Five years later, Reeve would work with the Detroit Shock as an assistant coach and front office executive.
Reeve’s front office work didn’t stop once she got hired as the head coach of the Minnesota Lynx in 2010. After securing her 4th WNBA championship, Reeve took on even greater responsibilities within the Lynx organization by becoming general manager as well.
Her role puts her in a unique position to evaluate talent and the future of her roster, while also providing continuity in the board room. Unlike most teams, there is no difference between the coach’s opinion and the general manager’s point of view.
When drafting players, Reeve says she prioritizes the intangibles, like passion, work ethic, and a desire to improve.
“I think humility is really important as well,” Reeve affirms. “ You want people that don’t think they know everything and want to be coached and want to reach their greatest heights.”
Reeve says these characteristics are attributes that “oozes off of people” and become something the Lynx take a strong look at.
Being great doesn’t just happen, either. It takes years of dedication, hard work, and resilience to reach their dreams. Reeve describes that daily habits need to be put in place in order to be among the best.
“It doesn’t just happen because people just sort of showed up,” Reeve explains. “If there was an easier path, everybody would be doing it.”
The mindset to be great is one that bleeds through the inseams of the Lynx organization. “They say ball is life,” Reeve jokes. But, it’s really true. In order to be great, you not only have to love your job but devote countless hours to your profession
Differentiating yourself, in both basketball and life, is not difficult because most people are not willing to do the little things that separate themselves from the masses.
“It doesn’t take a lot to be above average because most people are mediocre and below,” Reeve acknowledges. “And you do a little bit more, you can be above average. You do a lot more, you can be great.”
Yet, Reeve hopes her players leave with a legacy beyond the wins and championships.
“As much as we ask them to pour into the game, that we did that as their leaders, I was able to give them more than just coaching them, caring about them as people,” Reeve says.
Reeve’s Hall of Fame induction represents the legacy she’s left both on and off the court. Induction Weekend was a humbling and proud moment for Reeve, and it was a confirmation of nearly 40 years of being passionately devoted to the game.
As Reeve herself emphasized, championships don’t just happen by showing up. Greatness is sparked because of the intentional, passionate work that goes on behind the scenes. Reeve has been nothing but devoted to her players, coaching staff, and organization, and her story is not done yet.
Reeve continues to rewrite the record books. She became the winningest coach in WNBA history on July 8, 2026 and is on the hunt for her fifth WNBA title.
