Cheryl Reeve isn’t new to being an out gay coach. The head coach of the USA women’s basketball team at the Paris Olympics has been in a very public long-term relationship with her wife — Minnesota Lynx executive Carley Knox — for years.
Reeve took over the head coaching duties of the team after the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, when Dawn Staley stepped down from the role. Staley won Olympic gold three times as a player, and then once as the head coach of the USA team.
But now the team is in the hands of Reeve.
In the group stage, the USA won their three games by an average of 19 points.
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In advancing to the gold-medal game against France, the closest elimination game they’ve had was a 14-point win over Nigeria in the quarterfinals. They dispatched of Australia by over 20 in their semifinal game.
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The team is supported by Curt Miller, officially a scout for the team at the Paris Olympics.
“It’s an honor to serve on the Women’s National Team this year in Paris,” Miller said upon his selection. “Having the opportunity to represent the USA and continue working with the best athletes in the world is something I don’t take lightly, and I look forward to competing for a gold medal.”
Reeve, of course, brings a pedigree like no other. As a head coach, she has guided the Lynx to four WNBA league championships. As an assistant coach with the Detroit Shock, she won two more WNBA titles.
Miller also brings a very strong resume. As the head coach at Bowling Green, he won five league titles. As the head coach of the Connecticut Sun, he was named WNBA Coach of the Year twice. He is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The coaching and scout team for the USA women’s basketball team at the Paris Olympics is rounded out by coaches Kara Lawson (Duke), Joni Taylor (Texas A&M), Mike Thibault (Washington Mystics), as well as scout Tanisha Writght (Atlanta Dream).
The United States has won the last seven gold medals at the Summer Olympic Games. The only other “country” to win the Summer Olympics gold medal is the Soviet Union, later identified as the “Unified Team” after the USSR disolved.
The pressure is on Reeve to deliver another championship.
They will face the home country of France for the Olympic gold medal. It may not be easy for the USA. France has been knocking at the door of an Olympic title for a while, making the semifinals each of the last three years.
France won silver in 2012 and bronze in 2021.
A gold medal, beating the all-powerful Americans, would be icing on the cake for the French this year.
In building this year’s Olympic squad, Reeve and her team relied on experience. Every player on this gold-medal-match team has competed at an Olympic Games or a World Championship.
Now push comes to shove. Reeve, the 12 players she selected, and her coaching and scouting team will have to come together to deliver an eighth-straight gold medal for the USA.
They will be supported by one of the “gayest” group of players on any team in Olympic history. Seven of the 12 players are publicly out as LGBTQ. That includes legends like Diana Taurasi — who is chasing her unprecedented sixth women’s basketball Olympic gold medal — and Brittney Griner, who was imprisoned overseas in Russia not long ago.
As for Reeve, she is one of the most influential out LGBTQ people in American sports. She and her wife, Lynx executive Carley Knox, were ranked No. 19 in Outsports’ Power 100 last year.
A gold medal at the Olympics would certainly be part of the consideration for this year.
