The U.S. women’s Olympic dominance over the best talent from around the globe has been a constant for as long as anyone can remember. That was on display yet again in the Tokyo Olympics, which saw Team USA — featuring the Minnesota Lynx trio of Sylvia Fowles, Napheesa Collier, and Cheryl Reeve — coming away with a seventh straight gold medal while extending their winning streak in Olympic competition to 55 straight victories.
That dominance will likely continue. The next two notable competitions are the 2022 FIBA World Cup in Australia and the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but the United States might have different personnel both on the court and on the bench.
One of the biggest changes that will take place is who will be leading the national team as head coach. Following the Tokyo Olympics, Team USA head coach Dawn Staley announced she would be stepping down from her role, opening the door for someone else to take over.
There are several options for taking over as Staley’s replacement moving forward, but the now-former USA head coach recommended a familiar face to Minnesota and WNBA fans: Cheryl Reeve.
“Cheryl’s been around for a long time, and she has been an assistant coach with this team for a long time,” Staley told the Star Tribune. “She can handle this position quite well, and she’ll demand and command respect from the players. What she can bring to the table is unmatched. So she’d get my nod, for sure.”
Reeve’s Role with Team USAÂ
In the last two Olympics — the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro and 2020 in Tokyo — Reeve has served as an assistant coach on Team USA. In 2016, Geno Auriemma was the head coach, while Staley took over for the 2020 competition.
Before taking on her role among the assistant coaching staff, Reeve had served as an assistant for the 2014-16 USA National Team that took home gold medals at the 2014 FIBA World Cup Team and 2016 Olympic Games. She returned as an assistant for the 2018 World Cup Team, winning gold and qualifying the USA for the 2020 Olympics.
With the experience and respect she has in the WNBA and knowing the players who take part in the league and the national team, Reeve would make for a great choice to take over as head coach. There is no question Reeve could take on that role without any issues and would continue the tradition of excellence that the United States has carried to put together a historic run of success. Whether she actually wants that role and title of head coach is another question.
Would Reeve Want to Take Over as Head Coach?
It’s an honor in itself anytime you are the desired candidate to take over as head coach of a national team. Reeve likely feels that sense of flattery, given that her name is being floated out there as a potential candidate. But Reeve hasn’t necessarily come out and said she wants her name in the conversation for the head coaching role, recently telling the Star Tribune she believes Staley should return as head coach of Team USA.
However, if Staley steps down from her role as she said she would in Tokyo, Reeve said she thinks the coach should come from within the WNBA because many players on the national team come from the WNBA.
If those are the factors that go into the search for USA’s next coach, Reeve is a prime candidate. But even if she is sought after for the job, Reeve has her hands full as Minnesota’s general manager and head coach, in addition to having a family. That might impact whether she’s willing to make the Team USA commitment.
Reeve would be one of the best candidates to take over as the next head coach of the United States women’s basketball team and might end up getting asked to take over that role moving forward. If she does, there’s no question she would continue to carry on the tradition and excellence USA has displayed throughout history.
