Before the 2014 WNBA season tipped, Indiana Fever coach Lin Dunn announced that this would be her last season as a coach. She’s spent more than five decades pouring her heart into this sport and helped lead the franchise to its only WNBA Championship in 2012.
The emotion got the best of coach Lin Dunn as she was recognized before Wednesday’s win over Seattle. (Photo via @ACwishtv)
Before the Fever have a week between games, in part to allow Dunn to enjoy her weekend in Knoxville as she’s inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, the team honored her Wednesday night – just one of many times this season.
A 76-68 win over the Seattle Storm, a franchise she coached from 2000-02, gave her 157 wins as a WNBA coach and 669 career wins factoring in both college and pros.
The first thing one will miss about hanging around coach Dunn is her southern drawl. More to that, what she says may draw laughter unintentionally. When she’s around, you’ll absolutely know it.
At one point during my time with the franchise – 10 seasons – I started to write down all the various phrases or ‘Dunnisms,’ if you will. There were so many, however, that I soon lost track. She’s thoughtful, and can typically be seen on a plane having an stimulating conversation or reading a book.
On the court, she works her players hard and demands a lot out of them. At each morning shootaround before a game, she puts money at the center of the floor – which then goes to the first player to hit a shot from half-court. But first, split into two groups, each player must sink her free throws.
WNBA President Laurel Richie, who was in town for “Diversity Night,” said pre-game that while she didn’t know coach Dunn very well over the last three years, she was entertained by her and was a great example for all that is really good about the WNBA.
“One of the great things about Lin, from my experience, is she’s so upfront, she’s so out there that you meet her once and you feel like you know her,” she said in a roundtable discussion with a handful of local reporters. “You spend time with her over three years and I have come to absolutely respect her abilities as a coach. I am extremely grateful for the role that she has played as an ambassador of the WNBA and women’s basketball in general.
“There’s just no one like Lin. She’s a walking sound bite. She comes up with some one-liners that are — I think if you read them and it said anonymous at the bottom, you’d say, ‘Nope. That’s not anonymous. That’s coach Dunn.'”
The Dresden, Tenn. native is already in both the Tennessee and Indiana Basketball Hall of Fames. Over the years, she’s not at all afraid to express her views and has has taken a big stand for women’s rights and Title IV.
“She has lived the history of this great game,” said president Richie, “and I think that’s incredibly valuable for young players coming in to realize the history and what it was like at the beginning in contrast to what it is like now.”
Dunn will be missed in the women’s basketball community. However, even though the Hall of Famer is retiring at season’s end, she’ll remain visible as she intends to help with the careers of younger coaches.
Enjoy many “Pepsis” this weekend, coach. Cheers…