On today’s episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, host Howard Megdal is joined by Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams to talk about the miraculous arc of her career, from coming off the bench in Connecticut, to playing a starting role in the WNBA Finals with the Lynx. They also talk about her upcoming role in the inaugural season of Unrivaled.
First, Megdal and Williams discussed her whirlwind 2024 season, which started with her free agency move to Minnesota. From there, Courtney Williams helped lead her team all the way back to the WNBA Finals, where they lost in a nail biter five-game series to New York. Williams says she knew from early on how great her Lynx had the potential to be:
“I think I knew during training camp,” she said. “I think just our vibes, the way our chemistry was building, kind of right out the gate. … I think all of us just had this certain type of feel, of like, we all want to win, and it doesn’t matter how we get it done. And I think that was our biggest thing, obviously, from the top to the bottom, with our coaching staff, with our training … , I think we all was just on the same page, and we all are just coachable from the top to bottom. I think we all just want to be better, and we all just want to win. So whatever that looks like, I think we all are just open today.”
Then, Megdal and Williams talked about how her primary shot changed over the course of the last two seasons. Megdal revealed to Williams that she had shot 76.9% from around the rim, a career high in that area.
“That’s crazy, I didn’t know that,” Williams said. “That’s probably why Cheryl was trying to push me to take more layups. But honestly … I think it’s just what is open for me, it’s not something that I even think about. I mean, I think more about getting into my mid range. But as you make those deep runs, people take away the things that you’re most comfortable doing. Obviously my comfort is getting to my mid range, so that starts getting taken away. So now I have to adjust in different ways. And I think honestly, finishing at the rim is an adjustment for me, because that’s not my go to. If I could just stay comfortable and stay in my pull up, that’s what I would do. But like I said, as teams continue to scout you, and they start wanting to make you feel more uncomfortable, they make you do different things. And you know, I got different things in my bag. So, you know, I had to [defer] to finishing at the rim.” But that’s crazy, because I know that that’s, that’s what my percentage was at the rim.”
‘Rare Gems’ is out now!
Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The IX Basketball and The IX Sports, wrote this deeply reported book. “Rare Gems” follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers, from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.
If you enjoy Megdal’s coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX Sports, you will love “Rare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.”
Tune in to hear more from Courtney Williams about the 2024 Lynx season, and her upcoming role in the inaugural season of Unrivaled in Miami. 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!
