Hitting the Hardwood Podcast

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Minnesota Lynx President of Business Operations Carley Knox!

The two dive into the Lynx's thrilling Game 2 victory, talking about the resiliency of the team and being the only team to complete a sweep in the first round of the WNBA Playoffs. They then discuss advancing to the semifinals, the potential matchup in the semifinals, the Target Center crowd and Lynx fans showing out to support the team, and much more!

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In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, the gang is all together! Mitchell Hansen is joined by fellow HTH'ers Terry Horstman and Andrew Dukowitz to talk all things WNBA Playoffs before Round 1 begins.

The guys chat about each of the first-round matchups before diving into the Minnesota Lynx and Golden State Valkyries showdown. They then shift to which team worries them the most in the postseason and much more!

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In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Winsidr senior writer and New York Liberty beat writer Myles Ehrlich!

Hansen and Ehrlich open the podcast talking the WNBA MVP race and if Napheesa Collier is still a frontrunner for the award despite missing time with injury, then shift focus to the WNBA and which teams have been surprises over the last few weeks. Later, the two take a deep dive into the Lynx/Liberty regular season matchups and conclude the episode by discussing the playoffs just weeks away.

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The Minnesota Lynx bolstered their roster Sunday with the acquisition of DiJonai Carrington from the Dallas Wings, and our guys Mitchell Hansen and Andrew Dukowitz had to come together for an emergency The Missing Lynx Podcast to break it all down!

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In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by ESPN play-by-play commentator Ryan Ruocco!

Hansen and Ruocco talk about ESPN coming to Minneapolis on July 30 for the Lynx/Liberty in the first meeting since the 2024 WNBA Finals, followed by looking back on some of Ruocco's favorite broadcast calls of his career. They then take a deep dive into the upcoming matchups between Minnesota and New York, discuss why they are favorites to return to the Finals again this year, which teams could make a run behind the Lynx and Liberty, and much more! <...

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by FanDuel Sports Network North Broadcast Analyst, Lea B. Olsen.

Hansen and Olsen discuss the FanDuel Sports Network North broadcast crew, how Olsen got introduced to the industry and what it's like to see the increased interest in women's basketball, later diving into what we've seen in the first half of the WNBA season. The two break down the play of the Minnesota Lynx, discuss what has stood out, hand out midseason awards and much more!

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In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Lynx Happy Hour Podcast host and Lynx reporter for The Next, Terry Horstman.

Hansen and Hortstman catch up on what has taken place over the past few weeks for the Lynx, including Minnesota remaining at the top of the league standings and reaching the Commissioner's Cup Championship. They they look ahead to the upcoming stretch of the schedule and the opportunity it could present to create some room in the standings and more.

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In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined WCCO sports reporter and host of WoMN In Sports, Marielle Mohs.

Hansen and Mohs chat about covering women's sports and specifically the WNBA, later discussing the red-hot start to the year for the Lynx that has resulted in an undefeated open to the season thus far. They then discuss some what has gone well for Minnesota and what it needs to improve upon while wrapping up the episode making a prediction as to how far the Lynx will go in 2025.

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In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined Aryeh Schwartz, who is the founder of Winsidr and host of the Winsidr Show podcast. 

Hansen and Schwartz open the podcast by discussing what we saw in the WNBA over Opening Weekend and surprises and weaknesses seen from teams across the league. The two then chat about the opening stretch for the Lynx, who has shined and who still has to prove themselves early on in the year. They conclude the episode by predicting what might take place for Minnesota by the end of the y...

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by the Minnesota Lynx's new Associate Head Coach, Eric Thibault.

Hansen and Thibault open the podcast talking about Thibault's arrival to the Lynx, his time in Minnesota so far and his ties to Minnesota. They then discuss the offseason, training camp thus far, and expectations for the 2025 season. Then conclude chatting about the Lynx coaching staff, what Thibault will bring to the team and organization, and wrap up the podcast with ... Minnesota State Fair talk?

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In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Ben Pickman, a national staff writer at The Athletic who covers the WNBA and women’s college basketball.

Hansen and Pickman open the podcast by talking about the offseason that was, including the debut season of Unrivaled and the pressure it could put on the WNBA. They then jump into talk about the 2025 WNBA Draft, what the training camp roster will look like for the Minnesota, expectations for the Lynx and the rest of the WNBA in 2025 and more.

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Since the inception of Hitting the Hardwood, the team has been committed to being your one-stop shop for all the latest news, analysis and coverage on the Minnesota Lynx and the rest of the WNBA. With the support of listeners, readers and patreon members, HTH is not only excited to continue to provide this coverage — but to add to it! 

Along with the Hitting the Hardwood Podcast, the weekly HTH Newsletter, the HTH Patreon Community and more, the HTH team is growing and is proud to announce the establishment of the Hitting the Hardwood Network, which will hou...

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Terry Horstman of The Next to talk about everything that has taken place and what's yet to come this offseason.

Hansen and Horstman discuss the offseason to this point and what we've seen from players and leagues across the globe, also talking about Unrivaled and overseas performances. They then jump into the moves made by the Minnesota Lynx over the offseason and what could take place in the draft. The two conclude the episode by answering some submitted questions from listeners. 

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In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Alexa PhilIppou, who covers women's basketball for ESPN.

Hansen and Philippou open up the podcast by talking about WNBA free agency and how things will pick up around the league soon, also touching on the reason why we could see short-term contracts signed this offseason in anticipation for the new CBA in the coming year. They then discuss the start of Unrivaled and what that league will do for the exposure and excitement of the WNBA and women's basketball, concluding the podcast talking about the...

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by a very special guest, Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride.

Hansen and McBride start the episode off by talking about what McBride has been up to since the conclusion of the WNBA season, also talking about the season that was for the Lynx that concluded in the WNBA Finals. The two then discuss McBride playing in the inaugural Unrivaled league this offseason while remaining in the United States during the offseason for the first time in years. Hansen and McBride then conclude the episode talking...

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen dives into the WNBA offseason, what has taken place and what is to come.

In a solo show (yes, we're sorry), Hansen discusses what has taken place across the league since the conclusion of the WNBA Finals, shifting to what is coming up on Dec. 7 with the WNBA Expansion Draft. He then dives into the six players Minnesota will likely protect in the Expansion Draft and what that could mean for players who are unprotected. To conclude, Hansen looks ahead to what will take place the rest o...

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by not one but two guests, Terry Horstman of The Next and Aryeh Schwartz of Winsidr, to recap an incredible and controversial finish to the WNBA Finals. 

Hansen chats with both guys about the championship series that took place, the controversial call towards the end of Game 5, the incredible series in totality and historic season we saw in 2024. They then dive into where the Minnesota Lynx and WNBA goes from here, what the future looks like for the Lynx and what the WNBA can improve u...

In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Aryeh Schwartz, who is the founder of Winsidr and host of the Winsidr Show podcast. 

Hansen and Schwartz open the podcast by talking about the Minnesota Lynx, their season now that we are nearing the end of it as well as how they have performed in the first two rounds of the postseason. They then jump right into the Lynx roster, what this team is capable of, and then take a deep dive into the best-of-five WNBA Finals matchup between Minnesota and New York.

In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Minnesota Lynx radio play-by-play voice, Wendell Epps.

Hansen and Epps open the podcast talking about what drew Epps to Minnesota and what his first year has been like in the Twin Cities, following that up by discussing the Minnesota Lynx play over the regular season and at the start of the postseason. Hansen and Epps then shift focus to the final four teams left standing in the WNBA Playoffs before taking a deep dive into the best-of-five series between the Lynx and the Connecticut S...

In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by ESPN analyst and reporter LaChina Robinson. 

Hansen and Robinson open the podcast by talking about the 2024 regular season in its final week, what and who have surprised us this season, and the playoff race. They then take a deep dive into the success of the Minnesota Lynx and the MVP type play of Napheesa Collier, as well as discussing if Minnesota should be considered serious title contenders this year.

To conclude the podcast, Robinson talks about the postseason ahead, what we can ex...

In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Terry Horstman, who covers the Minnesota Lynx for The Next.

Hansen and Horstman open the podcast by talking about the Lynx as of late and how they are red-hot out of the Olympic Break, as well as the impressive weekend that took place in Minneapolis with the Lynx taking down Las Vegas and Indiana in a back-to-back on Maya Moore jersey retirement weekend. The two them discuss the job that has been done by Cheryl Reeve and her coaching staff, the MVP-caliber of play f...

In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx Chief Operating Officer, Ryan Tanke. 

Hansen and Tanke open up the podcast talking about the Olympics in Paris and the resumption of the WNBA season following the Olympic Break, going on to discuss the season thus far and the interest in the WNBA and how that has reached the Lynx organization. The two then talk about the rest of the regular season, the Lynx fan base and their passion and support of the team, and what could come for Minnesota the...

In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Myles Ehrlich, a senior writer at Winsidr who primarily covers the New York Liberty and co-host of the Pull Up with Myles and Owen Podcast.

Hansen and Ehrlich open the podcast by talking about the WNBA season at the Olympic Break, the interest the league continues to get, and what might happen during the break before teams return for the final 15 games of the regular season. The two them take a deep dive into the success of New York and Minnesota so far this s...

In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Mark Schindler, a writer who covers all levels of women's basketball and the host of the They've Got Now podcast.

Hansen and Schindler take a look around the WNBA at the midseason point and as the Olympic Break gets underway while outlining some surprises we've seen through the first portion of the summer. The two then take a look at the Minnesota Lynx and what has fed into the success of the team thus far before wrapping up the podcast by discussing favorites for end...

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by WNBA and NBA writer and reporter Jack Borman.

Hansen and Borman take a deep dive into the Minnesota Lynx so far this season, including the strong start for the team, the reasoning behind the hot start and some standouts thus far. The two then discuss the newest additions to the team and the impact they have made thus far, and some strengths and weaknesses Minnesota has shown. Hansen and Borman conclude the podcast by talking about if the Lynx strong start is sustainable and if...

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride. 

McBride and Hansen take a look at the WNBA season thus far for the Minnesota Lynx, including a strong start to the season for McBride herself. They then take a look behind the success of the Lynx thus far and the chemistry that is already present on Minnesota's roster despite new faces. They conclude the podcast by discussing what McBride has enjoyed most about the season thus far, what she thinks the Lynx can accomplish this year and much m...

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Toronto-based WNBA and NBA writer Chelsea Leite.

Leite and Hansen look dive into the recent news of Toronto being awarded a WNBA franchise starting in 2026, including the announcement event itself, what the timeline could look like for announcements leading up to the 2026 season, if Leite had any doubts of if Canada would ever be awarded an expansion team, and more. The two then shift focus to the 2024 WNBA season and discuss some surprises through the first two weeks of the year before concluding the podcas...

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by award-winning broadcaster, Bally Sports North's Marney Gellner. 

Hansen and Gellner talk about her role at Bally Sports North, which currently includes being a studio host for the Minnesota Timnberwolves and play-by-play broadcaster for the Minnesota Lynx, along with what it's been like covering the Lynx over the years. They then discuss Gellner's favorite memories, personalities and moments throughout her time around the Lynx, concluding the podcast by discussing the recent increase in interest with women's basketball and what to look forward to from the Lynx...

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by the newly announced inductee into the 2024 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, former Minnesota Lynx star Seimone Augustus.

Hansen and Augustus discuss her Hall of Fame induction, including how and when she found out, and what the honor means to her. They then take a look back on the career accomplishments of Augustus, including her impressive performance on the court and her work in the community off the court. The two then shift focus to the NCAA Tournament, talking about the women's tournament and t...

In the latest episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by the newest member of the Minnesota Lynx, guard Courtney Williams. 

Hansen and Williams open the podcast discussing her mindset going into free agency, the free agency process for the veteran guard and why she decided to choose Minnesota. They then talk about what Williams can bring to the Lynx in 2024, what she believes her and the other offseason additions will contribute to the team and what fans can expect out of her on a nightly basis.

The two conclude the episode by lo...

In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Stephen PridGeon-Garner, who covers the WNBA and the Chicago Sky as well as the NBA and the Phoenix Suns. 

Hansen and PridGeon-Garner open up the podcast by discussing some of the moves made throughout the WNBA this offseason, including those made by both the Minnesota Lynx and the Chicago Sky. The two take a deep dive into what new Lynx players Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith, among others, will bring to Minnesota in 2024 and fans can expect out of them in Minneapolis. They conclude the p...

In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by women's basketball analyst Rachel Galligan to talk all things women's basketball and WNBA.

Hansen and Galligan open up the podcast by discussing covering the WNBA and women's basketball and some of the challenges that come along with it, as well as Galligan taking a step back from breaking WNBA news this offseason. They then look ahead to the offseason and free agency currently underway, breaking down what the Minnesota Lynx could do this offseason either in free agency, in the WNBA Draft or both.

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In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by frequent guest and friend of the podcast, Canis Hoopus Editor-in-Chief Jack Borman.

Hansen and Borman put a bow on 2023 while looking at how Minnesota Lynx players have been performing overseas during the WNBA offseason. They then look ahead to 2024, including the 2024 schedule that recently dropped, some free agent targets the Lynx could look at as free agency begins in the new year, some hope, resolutions and predictions for Minnesota in 2024, and much more!

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In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier to talk all things Lynx. 

Collier and Hansen revisit the 2023 WNBA season both for Collier personally and the Lynx as a whole, discuss what she thought about her MVP-caliber season in 2023 and what Collier plans to work on over the offseason. The two then talk about Collier's work with Unrivaled and the status of that league, what she hopes the Lynx can accomplish over the offseason while potentially adding to the roster, what Minnesota could look like in 2024, what Co...

In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Minnesota Lynx head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve to talk all things Lynx. 

Reeve and Hansen take a look back at the 2023 season, including what Reeve thought of the year that was, some players that stepped up throughout the year, what surprises popped up during the summer and more. They then shift focus to what Minnesota needs to do this offseason and what the team might target over the offseason before looking ahead to the 2024 campaign and what Reeve's hopes are f...

In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Ben Pickman, a writer for The Athletic who covers the WNBA and college basketball, and co-host of The Athletic Women's Basketball Show podcast.

Pickman and Hansen talk about the WNBA Finals, which Pickman attended, including what took place during the series, the atmosphere in both Las Vegas and New York and more. They then discuss the recent WNBA expansion news, diving into what the expansion means, what the next steps for the league might be and what the WNBA needs to focus on next w...

In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Toronto-based WNBA and NBA writer Chelsea Leite.

Leite and Hansen look back at the WNBA Finals so far and talk about which team will come out on top to win the league title, discuss WNBA expansion and if the league will ever add a team in Canada or elsewhere outside of the country, what should come next for expansion and improvement of the WNBA, what the takeaways are from the 2023 Minnesota Lynx season, what the team could do this offseason, if they will improve i...

In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Jillian Hiscock, a Minnesota Lynx season ticket holder, loyal women's sports fan and owner of A Bar of Their Own. 

Hiscock talks about her plan to open A Bar of Their Own, the first bar in Minnesota dedicated to women's sports, and why she wanted to open the bar to support women's sports and the fans who enjoy watching women's sports with this inclusive and family-friendly space. Hiscock and Hansen go on to talk about the Lynx in 2023, Hiscock being a season ticket holder for...

In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined by Aryeh Schwartz, who is the founder of Winsidr and host of the Winsidr Show podcast. 

Schwartz, who makes his return to the podcast after joining earlier in the season, talks with Hansen about the WNBA Playoffs so far as we approach the WNBA Finals, looks back at the postseason appearance for the Minnesota Lynx and the season that was for Minnesota in 2023, takes a dive into the current construction of the roster and what the Lynx need this offseason ahead of the 2024 campaign, offers h...

In this week's episode of Hitting the Hardwood, Mitchell Hansen is joined once again by frequent guest and friend of the podcast, Canis Hoopus Editor-in-Chief Jack Borman.

The two revisit the first-round series between the Minnesota Lynx and Connecticut Sun before pointing out some positives from the year and things the Lynx need to work on, what the future ahead might be for Minnesota and the roster, who could return in 2024 and which players might find a new team next year, who Borman and Hansen believe will advance in the WNBA Playoffs and win the WNBA Finals, a...