September 11, 2024
Locked On Women’s Basketball: Breanna Stewart, Cheryl Reeve and more — Dan Hughes talks coaching tree
By The Next
Hughes: 'New York, without question to me, has attacked the regular season like a team that wants to be champions'
On today’s episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, host Howard Megdal is joined by Seattle Storm broadcaster and former WNBA coach Dan Hughes. They discuss players and coaches Hughes had worked with during his tenure in the league, from Breanna Stewart‘s MVP case, to what has made Cheryl Reeve so successful in Minnesota. And of course, touch on Hughes’ last team, the Seattle Storm and their playoff positioning.
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First, they talked about where the Storm are currently, and what it might take for them to make a deep playoff run:
“They’re better than a lot of the teams that they play in the course of the year,” Hughes said. “But when you’re comparing them to the best, I saw them play New York, they are right there. You know, they go three quarters head-to-head, and they’re learning about what it takes for that last run. But I don’t care whether you’re a young team or an old team, that’s something that you almost have to go through to understand how to put it together. So they’re sitting right there, and [are] a very dangerous team, in my opinion, in the playoffs.”
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But ultimately it was the New York Liberty that stood out as the overall favorites to Hughes and Megdal:
“I watch a tremendous amount of WNBA basketball, usually from my downstairs with two or three TVs on, watching everybody, but they’re the best team I’ve seen,” Hughes said of New York. “And [Sandy Brondello] needs kudos, you know, for what she’s done. [Cheryl Reeve] needs kudos for what she’s done, but also, I have loved what [Christie Sides] has done in Indiana. That’s another example of a young coach that started one and eight, and they’re playing at a pretty high level right now. So there’s a lot of good teams gaining momentum, but New York, without question to me, has attacked the regular season like a team that wants to be champions.”
And it was Breanna Stewart, whom Hughes coached and coached against during his WNBA career, who leading the way for the Liberty as they head into the playoffs.
“I called the game when they played Seattle, and that was as good [as I’ve ever seen] Stewie, and I’ve seen Stewie as an MVP,” Hughes said. “I mean, she is such a good teammate that she just wants to enhance the product, but when the time is right, trust me, she’s as good as it gets, and that time will be right in the finals, I think if, if things work out, and they find themselves there.”
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Tune in to hear more from Hughes about coaching with Cheryl Reeve, Breanna Stewart’s Draft night, and more on the upcoming WNBA playoffs. Make sure to subscribe to the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast to keep learning about the WNBA, women’s college basketball, basketball history and much more!
