Minnesota Lynx Finalize 2016 Roster

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL – The Minnesota Lynx have set their final roster at 11 players as they begin their 18th WNBA season on Saturday, May 14 vs. Phoenix at Target Center. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m.

This year’s squad returns six players from the 2015 WNBA Championship roster, highlighted by four U.S. Olympians (Seimone Augustus, Sylvia Fowles, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen). The holdovers also feature three-time All-Star forward Rebekkah Brunson and guard Renee Montgomery.

New faces on this year’s team include veterans Natasha Howard and Jia Perkins. The Lynx acquired Howard from Indiana on Feb. 2 in a sign-and-trade deal that sent Devereaux Peters to the Fever. The 6-2 forward comes to the Lynx with career averages of 5.7 ppg and 2.9 rpg. Perkins was acquired from San Antonio on Apr. 14 in exchange for Jazmon Gwathmey, who was selected with the 14th pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft. Perkins, a 5-8 guard, averaged 13.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 1.46 spg last season for San Antonio.

Joining Howard and Perkins in their first seasons with the Lynx are rookie forwards Bashaara Graves and Keisha Hampton. Graves, Minnesota's 2nd-round choice (22nd overall) in the 2016 WNBA Draft, is just the fifth Tennessee player to collect 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career. Hampton was chosen by Seattle in the 2nd round (22nd overall) of the 2012 WNBA Draft, but was sidelined that season while rehabilitating an injury to her right knee and was waived by the Storm prior to the 2013 campaign.

Janel McCarville returns to the Lynx this season after missing 2015. McCarville started all 34 games for Minnesota in 2014 and averaged 7.9 ppg and 4.8 rpg in 27.0 mpg, logging the second-highest minute total (919) of her career. She led all centers in assists (3.1 apg) and ranked 13th in blocks (0.85 bpg).

Minnesota’s coaching staff (Cheryl Reeve, Jim Petersen and Shelley Patterson) returns for its seventh season together, having guided the team to WNBA Championships in 2011, 2013 and 2015 among five consecutive trips to the Western Conference Finals.  

2016 MINNESOTA LYNX ROSTER

No	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt.	Birthdate	College/Year	Yrs
33	Seimone Augustus	G	6-0	169	04/30/84	Louisiana State '06	10
32	Rebekkah Brunson	F	6-2	185	12/11/81	Georgetown '04	12
34	Sylvia Fowles	C	6-6	212	10/06/85	Louisiana State '08	8
14	Bashaara Graves	F	6-2	200	03/17/94	Tennessee '16	R
24	Keisha Hampton	F	6-1	171	02/22/90	DePaul '12	R
3	Natasha Howard	F	6-2	171	09/02/91	Florida State '14	2
4	Janel McCarville	C	6-2	218	11/03/82	Minnesota '05	8
21	Renee Montgomery	G	5-7	143	12/02/86	Connecticut '09	7
23	Maya Moore	F	6-0	178	06/11/89	Connecticut '11	5
7	Jia Perkins	G	5-8	168	02/23/82	Texas Tech '04	12
13	Lindsay Whalen	G	5-9	166	05/09/82	Minnesota '04	12

Head Coach:                      Cheryl Reeve (La Salle)Assistant Coaches:            Jim Petersen (Minnesota), Shelley Patterson (Washington State)Athletic Trainers:               Chuck Barta (Wisconsin-La Crosse), Kate Taber (Iowa)