A Closer Look At Lynx Head Coach Don Zierden

The new head coach of the Minnesota Lynx, Don Zierden, is a man of many faces. Upon meeting him for the first time, you come away feeling as if you have met the nicest man you will ever meet.

I met Coach Zierden myself for the first time in one of the Target Center suites on Feb. 7 as the Timberwolves were playing the Golden State Warriors. After we were introduced, Coach Zierden shook my hand and asked if I would like to go sit down and talk basketball with him and, of course, I jumped at the opportunity.

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A Chat With Amber Jacobs

Amber Jacobs is coming off a career year, which was one of the lone bright spots for the Lynx last season. Now, with the addition of number one pick, Lindsey Harding, Jacobs slides over to the shooting guard position, which is a more natural position for her. It would not be unexpected to see Jacobs have another breakout year quietly as the chatter around this team goes to teammates.

Earlier this week, I sat down with Amber Jacobs after practice to discuss training camp and the upcoming season.

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SL: How excited are you for the up-tempo style of play Coach Zierden is implementing?

AJ: I’m very excited about this season. I think Coach Z has a plan and he’s done great things already. We’re definitely going to be an up-tempo team. That’s what he wants from us, but yet, looking to get a good shot. Seimone and Ohlde are, obviously, going to be our go-to players, but, hopefully, this will take some of that pressure off of them. I think what creates an up-tempo team is the defense and he’s really been stressing that big time, you know? Just the fact that we gave up 80.4 points per game last year. Our defense is going to be much better this year, which will, hopefully, create our offense.

SL: So, what are your thoughts on Coach Zierden as a whole so far?

AJ: The first thing that just comes to my head is just his passion. His passion for the game and his passion for us ladies. He is an excellent teacher of the game and I think, not only does he have a great coaching staff around him, but he just brings so much knowledge of this game. He really likes to push us to our potential and just bleeds the most out of us. I feel like I’ve already gotten better and understood the game more as a player just in these last two weeks in camp.

SL: What has been the hardest part of camp so far for you?

AJ: You know, every day is not only physically challenging, but it’s mentally challenging. That’s what championship teams are all about. They’re in top shape, but they can also mentally stay focused and stay aggressive when time is winding down. That’s what Z is bringing to each practice. He’s pushing us to when we think we can’t go anymore, but yet, we jump over that hump and surpass it. That’s what great teams do and, obviously, that is where we want to be.


SL: OK, so now I want you to be a scout for me. Tell me what you’ve seen out of Lindsey Harding in camp so far.

AJ: Lindsey is our true point guard. I think she’s already stepped up into a leadership role and she’s feeling comfortable with running the point. She’s so aggressive for our team offensively and defensively.

SL: Noelle Quinn?

AJ: Q has really started to come into her own. She’s getting into the quickness and the strength of the game and she’s becoming more aggressive herself. She’s working hard defensively and offensively, she not only brings her passing ability, but she’s a great shooter too. She can also crash the boards as well. She’s doing little things for us, you know? Knocking down that shot when we need her to.

SL: Shay Murphy?

AJ: Shay? She brings a lot of spunk to this team. She’s always smiling, always in a peppy, great mood and, even though she’s been out this past week or so with an ankle injury, she’s been on the sidelines cheering us on and continuing to encourage us. I’m excited to see her back into things this week because she’s a great shooter and she works so hard. She wants it just as bad as anybody else on this team. She’s very competitive.

SL: Kathrin Ress?

AJ: I think Kathrin has been developing more and more every practice just understanding post play in the WNBA. I mean, it is physical and I think she’s doing a great job of getting boards and bodying people defensively. Offensively, she’s looking for her move or her shot and she’s doing a good job of getting position and finding the open person.

SL: Are you concerned at all about the lack of post players on the team?

AJ: We have solid post players. When other teams look at us, they see two things. Yes, we’re a young team and, yes, we are very guard heavy. I think Coach Z and everyone on this team has faith in our post play and, obviously, that starts with Nicole Ohlde. There’s a little pressure on her to start it off on the inside, but she’s working so hard. She’s been more aggressive and attacking the hoop more then I’ve ever seen her and she’s really striving to be that person inside for us. Then, the other post are doing a great job of working around her.

SL: This team won 10-games last season. You added Katryna Gaither and the rookies in the off-season. They’re all talented rookies, but are rookies nonetheless. What is a realistic expectation for this season?

AJ: Man, putting me on the spot! Well, realistically, we will be better this year then last year for one thing. Realistically, we should be over 0.500. We should be winning more games then we are losing. Realistically, everyone on this team wants to be in the playoffs and wants to strive for that championship this year. Whether that will happen or not, I can’t really tell yet, but I know it’s going to be a much better year then last year.

A Chat With Shay Murphy

Shay Murphy, much like Kristen Mann, could play an incredibly important part in the Lynx quest to return to the playoffs this year. On a team with the likes of Seimone Augustus, Lindsey Harding, Noelle Quinn and Nicole Ohlde, there are enough players scoring the ball. Players like Murphy, who are capable of scoring, but can contribute to the team in other ways, will need to find their identity quickly. Although Murphy has not been able to participate in camp as much as she would like to, she is well on her way to finding her own niche on this team.

I sat down with Shay last week to discuss camp and the soon-approaching season.

SL: How excited are you for the up-tempo style of play that Coach Zierden is implementing?

SM: Well, it’s really exciting. I think this organization this year has a great mix of veterans and some rookies involved, so that means we’ve got a lot of athleticism. I think this team is going to be fast-paced, but controlled with our veterans. The coaching staff is going to be able to mix it up, depending on our opponent, so I’m really excited to be a part of it. I’ll just get out and run, make some plays and get the crowd into it.

SL: What’s been the hardest part of camp so far?

SM: I think the hardest part so far is just being consistent. I’m not able to do everything I want with the team right now. Whether it’s sitting out or just being on the sideline, that’s just really difficult for anybody no matter what level you’re at. On the games though, it’s just being consistent and knowing how hard you need to play every time, every second, and that’s something that really takes a lot of heart and work ethic. I’m glad we’re getting pushed to the test and I think it’s making me a better player.

SL: What are your thoughts on Coach Zierden so far?

SM: I think he’s a great coach so far. He has a great philosophy to his style of play, what he expects on and off the court and what he expects from his coaching staff. I really like it. I’m comfortable and he’s a father figure. He’ll push you. I mean, he’ll treat you like you’re one of his own kids, so that’s good. Ultimately, it will get you better and it’s only to benefit the team. It’s nothing too harsh that he wouldn’t treat his own kids, which is great. He’s positive and I’m real excited to play for him. I want to do exactly what he wants and make him proud.

SL: Now I want you to be a scout for me. Tell me what you’ve seen out of Lindsey Harding so far in camp.

SM: Oh, Lindsey’s really athletic and quick. She’s a creator and she’s a true point guard. She looks to dish to her teammates, but she has the ability to attack and score at will. She’s got long arms, a great defender and an all-around solid game. I really like playing with her and being her teammate. She’s a great player and can do it all.

SL: How about Kathrin Ress?

SM: Kathrin’s great. She’s a great teammate. She works real hard and she wants to get it right, you know? She tries her hardest and she’ll try 150 times until she gets it right. She’s really positive and encouraging all the time and she works her butt off, whether it’s defense or offense. She sets great screens and is an overall great team player. She’s a great person to have on the floor at all times because she’s pretty skilled down low. She’ll get you with the up and under and finish, so that’s great.

SL: Are you concerned at all with the lack of post players on the team this season?

SM: I’m not really concerned because of prior experiences at USC. I just think it’s unfortunate when somebody gets in foul trouble or a player gets hurt, but we’re a balanced team. We’re pretty deep, our bench is pretty solid and I don’t think the talent or athleticism is going to dip when the coaching staff needs to go to the bench. I think it’s just another opportunity for somebody to step up and, I think, any given night, anybody could be the ‘go-off’ player, the ‘go-to’ player. I think that’s just with having a well-balanced bench and a coaching staff that believes in everybody’s abilities. You have to do a scouting report on all of us…it’s not just one now, so that’s exciting.

SL: Have you been able to determine at this point what your specific role will be on this team?

SM: A little bit, but not really. I think my role and my goal is to go out every day and play 100%. Just give my entire work ethic and do whatever the team wants me to do that night. Whether it’s scoring, defending, knocking down free throws or maybe it’s just cheering, whatever they want me to do that day, I’ll do it. I’m just happy to be a part of the team. That task or assignment, I just hope I complete that, you know? That’s my goal and they’ll never have to coach effort with me. I’ll give it to them 100%.

SL: This team won 10-games last year. The acquisitions this off-season were Katryna Gaither and the rookies. You are all talented rookies, but are rookies nonetheless. What do you believe is a realistic expectation for the Lynx this season?

SM: Definitely a realistic expectation is winning more then 10 games. I just think we’ll shock a lot of teams, you know? Yeah, you know, we’re rookies and we’re young, but I just think our effort is going to shock a lot of teams. Our heart, we do have heart and we’re going to be the team to sneak up on someone. We’re excited for that and as long as our coaching staff never has to coach effort, we’re going to be happy with ourselves. Definitely taking it one day at a time and each day get better, each game get better. ‘Work Hard.’ That’s the slogan, you know? As long as we do that and contribute and stay together through the good times and the bad times—and this organization has had bad times—we’ll shock people.

Minnesota Lynx 2007: Young and Athletic, But Does That Bring More Wins?

Coming off an insanely frustrating season covering the Minnesota Timberwolves and their unbalanced roster, it is somewhat concern causing to see how guard-heavy the women’s pro basketball team, the Lynx, are as well. When a team struggles to rebound the ball efficiently, giving themselves more offensive possessions, they oftentimes will find themselves on the losing end of the contest.

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A Chat With Noelle Quinn

Lost in the excitement of adding this year’s number one pick, Lindsey Harding, to last year’s number one pick, Seimone Augustus, is the fact that Noelle Quinn isn’t too shabby herself. The fourth overall pick in the 2007 draft, Quinn completed an amazing career at UCLA and fulfilled a dream of playing in the WNBA.

An interesting stat on Quinn is that she is the only player in UCLA history (male or female) to score 1700+ points, grab 700+ rebounds, and dish out 400+ assists in her career. Coming from a school rich in basketball tradition like UCLA, that is quite an accomplishment. Quinn is well on her way to living up to the expectations she sets on herself admiring the great Magic Johnson.

After practice last week, I sat down with Noelle Quinn to discuss training camp and the upcoming season.

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SL: How excited are you to play the up-tempo style that Coach Zierden is implementing?

NQ: Definitely very excited. That’s the type of style I enjoy to play since I started playing basketball. I am a fan of just pushing the ball and generating excitement, not only for our team, but for the fans. That’s what fans like to see. In college, I played up-tempo also, I’m used to it and excited.

SL: What has been the hardest part of camp so far for you?

NQ: Two things, I’d say. First, the two-a-days. We not only practice, but we work with our strength and conditioning coach and he works us pretty hard and then, coming back at night. The second aspect is kind of like the mental aspect. This is a new level for me, so I have to remember that I can make mistakes. It’s kind of like I’m re-learning the game, which isn’t exactly how I should put it, but it’s difficult. It’s faster pace, you’re playing with grown women, so I’ve just got to keep my focus and keep my mind correct.

SL: What are your thoughts so far on new head coach Don Zierden?

NQ: He’s a great guy. First off, he’s very genuine, very family-oriented and he’s a phenomenal person. Just talking to him, he’s really passionate about basketball and he wants to change this franchise around. I enjoy every moment I have within his presence and I’m constantly learning from him. On the court, he wants to get the best out of you. He has a very good drive and that’s generating our thoughts and strengthening our playing abilities. He’s going to love you, but if you mess up, he’s going to tell you. I haven’t had that type of coach to get on me, but at the same time I have to think that it’s nothing personal. He’s just making me better.

SL: Are you concerned at all about the lack of post players on this team?

NQ: I don’t think it’s a big concern just because of our style of play since we like to get up and down the court. Hopefully, that won’t be our Achilles, not having a lot of post players. On the flip-side, we have great perimeter players and we kind of have combo players that can get in there and rebound. It’s very competitive right now. Everybody is fighting for a spot, but I don’t think our posts are lacking at all. It doesn’t matter how big you are, it’s about how much heart you have.

SL: Now, it’s your turn to be a scout for me. Tell me what you’ve seen out of Lindsey Harding so far in camp.

NQ: Lindsey Harding is a great player. She’s a great floor leader and she’s the type of person who is a natural leader. Her aura and the way she talks…she’s just a leader. She’s been a great point guard for Duke, she’s a great shooter, she can score, she knows how to keep the team together, she makes your life less hard, plays great defense and she’s an all-around great player.
SL: Have you been able to determine at this point what your role will be on this team?

NQ: Z wants me to play a little bit of point behind Lindsey, so I’m working every day to get better at that because that’s not my comfort, but I can do it. I’m a taller guard and the rest of my game is very versatile. As of right now, I don’t know really, but I’m in here just working hard on defense, which is one thing I need to improve on. I’m getting better every day.

SL: What’s been the best advice or words of encouragement that you have received since draft day?

NQ: I’d say from Nikki Blue from the Washington Mystics. She’s one of my closest friends. I was just telling her some of the difficulties I’m going through with being on my own and all that stuff. The best thing she said was ‘You’re here. You made it here because you’re a great player and you’re meant to be here, so keep working at it and don’t get down.” There are going to be days when you go through everything and you think it’s the worst day ever, but she was just telling me that I could do it. Just positive reinforcement.

SL: This team won 10 games last year. The acquisitions in the off-season were Katryna Gaither and the rookies. You are all talented, but are rookies nonetheless. With that in mind, what do you feel is a realistic expectation for this team this season?

NQ: First of all, we’re going to win more then 10 games. A lot of people are talking about how young we are, but we still have veteran players coming in. Right now, looking at the NBA playoffs and watching Golden State, they’re not supposed to be winning. Charles Barkley called them ‘midgets’ and all this stuff is going on, but, as a team, they play hard and they get after it defensively. If you look at the Lynx, we understand that people think we’re not going to do it and all we have is us.