The heart of the Minnesota Lynx, Courtney Williams

On game days in the WNBA, teams typically meet in the morning for a “shootaround,” a short practice to get some shots off and go over the game plan.

Shootarounds often end with a bit of fun: a half-court shooting contest between the players, with a video of the winner shown on social media. That game was underway Wednesday morning when reporters were allowed to take in the Lynx shootaround at Target Center before Game 2 of their first-round playoff series with Phoenix.

All-Star guard Kayla McBride and backup Olivia Époupa had already hit half-court shots when starting point guard Courtney Williams — the one with the short bleached hair, pink sneakers and exuberant personality — stepped up to take the shot. Williams hit a dozen quick two-handed dribbles, took two steps and launched her shot. Swiss. A happy Williams grabbed Époupa, who laughed, then celebrated with a little solo dance.

It took several rounds to break the three-way tie. McBride finally did it and began her own long dance.

“And I lost,” Williams said, tempering her mild disappointment with a smile.

Veteran Williams, a free agent acquisition from Chicago, brought a playful spirit and fierce competitiveness to the Lynx, who advanced to Sunday’s WNBA semifinals against the Connecticut Sun in Phoenix’s best-of-three series to beat. Call it what you want – guts, an edge, whatever – but Williams gives the Lynx a fire that has been missing since their four-state championship run ended in 2017.

Whether it’s facing the crowd after hitting a three-pointer, talking to opponents or bumping a teammate after a big play, the 6-foot-4 Williams brings a lot of energy every night. Her success in shooting, playmaking and pick-and-roll with league runner-up MVP Napheesa Collier helped the Lynx post the league’s best record after the Olympic break (13-2) and finish second finish in the regular season standings at 30. -10.

“She embraces all the people around her, and I think that’s why we have such a high level of chemistry this year in particular,” said Lynx general manager Clare Duwelius. “She is a big reason why we are enjoying some of those things and moments this year.”

Williams’ blunt honesty and unfailing support mesh well with her teammates and coaches. Forward Bridget Carleton finished third in voting for the league’s most improved player with a breakout offensive season that she credits in part to Williams, a teammate at Connecticut when she broke into the league in 2019.

“She builds me up,” Carleton said. “I really appreciate that about Courtney. She’s always in my ear telling me to stay confident and to shoot. She’s on me if I miss a shot. She gets mad at me and tells me not to do it again. I really appreciate that about her and her leadership.”

That leadership includes Williams and backup guard Natisha Hiedeman, another former Sun, who pumped up their teammates with pregame dances in the locker room, to a song Williams playfully declined to reveal. (Hey, you can’t tell the media everything.)

“It’s so much fun, dude. We have a ball together,” Williams said. “I think you see it when we translate it on the field, how much we love each other. We’re having a great time, a great time.

“When it’s time to buckle up and do what we need to do, we’ll do it.”

Williams gets her basketball skills and competitiveness from her parents. At Charlton County High School in Folkston, Georgia, her mother, then known as Michele Granger, held the single-game scoring record of 40 points until Williams scored 42 points her freshman year. Her father, Donald Williams, constantly challenged her athletically. He set up the basketball goal at their home so the neighborhood kids could come and play.

“My mom got a lot of the hype, but dad got busy too,” Williams said. “He was one of those kids who was just crazy athletic for no reason and would do backflips everywhere. He was just an athlete. He can still do a backflip.

“He was the one who said, ‘Let’s go run outside.’ If you meet me at home, I’ll give you $20.’ When I went to college I beat him for the first time, so he knows he can’t mess with me now. But for a long time it would always be him, outside with me. “Come on, let’s play basketball. Come on, let’s go running.’ Whenever he did something athletic, he was always the one.

And when they were playing hoops, Dad never took it easy with her.

“He always talked nonsense to me,” she said. “He always said to me, ‘If you’re going to talk nonsense, you better back it up.’ So that was always the motto. He did it to me, so now I do it to everyone.”

Williams was a first-team All-American as a senior at the University of South Florida and moved to the WNBA and Phoenix in 2016 as the No. 8 overall pick. She was traded to Connecticut early in her rookie season and spent most of her career with the Sun, from 2016 to 2019 and again in 2022. There she made two appearances in the WNBA Finals before signing with Chicago as a free agent last year agent. She made her only All-Star appearance with Atlanta in 2021.

With the Sky, she switched from wing guard to point. Williams adapted well enough to intrigue the Lynx, who have cycled through a string of point guards since Lindsay Whalen retired in 2018. Some could score, some could distribute, some could defend. But none combined all those important skills to coach Cheryl Reeve’s taste.

“I think overall, Courtney has had a lot of experience in the postseason,” Duwelius said. “That was attractive. She’s great at pick-and-roll, and we wanted to open up some things between Phee (Collier) and her.

“The most important thing is that she comes with what people call ‘the dog.’ She can run the late game. She can be that go-to player for us where no moment is too big, and she will simply rise to the occasion. That’s something we obviously thought we needed to make late playoffs and get deeper into the postseason.

On the first day of free agency, Williams met with Lynx personnel via a Zoom call. Reeve, who is also the club’s President of Basketball Operations, knew Williams from a brief encounter at a basketball camp in the US and was impressed with her tell-it-like-it-is approach – a perfect match for Reeve.

“Just the little bit of communication I had with her, I thought, I can rock with this player,” Reeve said. The call went well and Williams flew to Minneapolis for a visit. She eventually signed for two seasons.

“Honestly, from the moment we spoke to Courtney, we knew she would be a great fit for us,” Duwelius said. “She’s going to call it like she sees it, and that’s exactly how Cheryl is and how we like to operate.

“Their relationship in particular is one that I have enjoyed witnessing, precisely because the two speak more or less the same language. She has been a very good channel from the coaching staff to the rest of the team.”

On the field, Williams exudes confidence, a kind of cross between Whalen and Diana Taurasi. Observant Target Center fans caught a glimpse of that earlier this season against Atlanta.

Williams was fouled on a three-point attempt just before halftime and went to the line with Tina Charles, the all-time WNBA great, walking behind her. Williams and Charles are friends, and Charles playfully wondered if Williams could go three-on-three. Challenge accepted. Williams hit them all, yapping and pointing at Charles between shots.

“Every time I made one,” Williams said, smiling, “I had to let her know.”

Williams struggled with her jump shot early after tearing a ligament in her right thumb late in training camp. The month-long Olympic break helped it heal, and Williams’ production rose along the way. After shooting 39.6% and averaging 9.8 points per game before the break, Williams improved to 51.1% and 13.4 points afterward, finishing the season with an average of 11.1 points and 5.5 assists. She had one of her best performances on September 1 against Chicago, scoring 10 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter on 5-for-6 shooting to lift the Lynx past Sky, 79-74.

Collier, who broke Maya Moore’s playoff record with 42 points in Game 2 on Wednesday night, is the Lynx’s undisputed leader. But Williams may be its beating, trash-talking heart.

“When she came to this team, Cheryl told me, ‘Keep your voice, I’m going to support you in everything you say,’” Williams said. “I think it gave me the comfort to know, OK, I can be myself. I can try to coach some girls, most girls, all girls. Because everyone, from top to bottom, is so coachable, including myself. We all just want to learn.

“Cheryl and her staff have been there before, right? They already have the blueprint, we are just here to follow.”

Pat Borzi

Pat Borzi is a contributing writer for MinnPost. Follow him on Twitter @BorzMN.

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