Former Gophers star Janel McCarville joining Lynx as assistant coach

A native of Stevens Point, WI, McCarville was the Big Ten freshman of the year under Brenda Frese in 2001-02, which was the best season in Gophers women's basketball history to that point. She stuck around when Pam Borton took over the program the following year and, along with All-American Lindsay Whalen, helped the Gophers reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in 2003.

As a junior, McCarville took a leap into stardom. The Gophers were a No. 7 seed in the 2004 NCAA Tournament and went all the way to the Final Four in Whalen's senior year. McCarville was an All-American as a senior in 2004-05. She ranks seventh in Gophers history in points scored and is second in both rebounds and blocks. Minnesota went 98-31 and made four straight NCAA Tournaments during McCarville's career.

After a standout college career, McCarville was selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Charlotte Sting in the 2005 WNBA Draft. She then went third overall to the New York Liberty in the 2007 Dispersal Draft following the folding of the Sting franchise. McCarville was the WNBA's most improved player in her first year with New York, then had a career year in 2008 with 13.7 points per game.

In 2011, McCarville was suspended for the entire season after failing to report to training camp. She didn't play in 2012 either, choosing to spend more time with her family. But in 2013, McCarville was acquired by the Lynx in a three-team trade, reuniting with Whalen. She started every game that season and helped Minnesota win the 2013 WNBA title. She was also the Lynx's starting center in 2014 and 2016, sandwiched around a season missed due to injury.

In total, McCarville played 313 games across nine WNBA seasons with three teams. Recently, she's served as the girls' varsity head coach at her high school alma mater in Stevens Point. She now joins Eric Thibault, Rebekkah Brunson, and Whalen as an assistant coach under Reeve.

The Lynx also announced the hiring of Jasmine Allen as basketball operations manager, Jeremy Ford as dietitian, Imani Lewis as video coordinator, Andy Oakland as basketball operations coordinator and Grace Allen as sports performance coordinator.

The Lynx hold the No. 2 overall pick in this year's WNBA draft, which will take place on April 13. Their preseason slate begins in late April, with the regular season opener set for May 10 at Target Center.