Layshia Clarendon and Rachel Banham return to Lynx, determined for title

Rachel Banham is happy to be back playing for her hometown team. Layshia Clarendon is thrilled to be back in Minnesota, their adopted, professional home.

So you can imaging how upbeat Wednesday's Zoom call was. Both of the players talked about having re-signed with the Lynx, both talked about the future.

"I want to be really good at basketball,'' Clarendon said. "I love these people. They're awesome.''

Said Banham: "I'm super excited to be back. I'm ready to step up as a basketball player, as a leader. All the things [she and Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve] have talked about for hours on end.''

Clarendon's impact after signing with the Lynx four games — and four losses — into the season was dynamic, with the team going 16-5 in games in which they appeared. Unfortunately, a right tibia stress fracture limited Clarendon down the stretch of the season and in a playoff loss to eventual champion Chicago. Clarendon said rehab has been a steady success, with their aim to be ready for the training camp.

This time they will be with the Lynx from the beginning.

"Having Layshia back was a priority for us,'' Reeve said. "And we're happy we got it done.''

Clarendon said winning a title for Sylvia Fowles in the center's final WNBA season was a huge goal. But they added recently-signed Angel McCoughtry — a former teammate they sometimes butted heads with in Atlanta — into that mix, too.

"Who does not want to win for Syl Fowles?'' Clarendon said. "And Angel. My motivation is for those two.''

For Banham, staying home was an easy choice. Her goal is to be consistent in her performance, no matter the minutes — or the position — she's in. Banham will continue to get time both at the point and at off-guard.

She enters the season, she said, with a bit of a chip on her shoulder.

"I feel I still have stuff to prove,'' Banham said. "To show people. And I want to do it on this team, win games, win a championship. Especially for Syl.''

Banham and Reeve have spent a lot of time talking about Banham's future.

"We talked about the consistency piece,'' Banham said. "Being in the best shape, being the best athlete I can possibly be. And being prepared. It's something I'm working super hard on.''

For Clarendon, the thrill is knowing what's possible. When they joined the team after the Lynx's 0-4 start, everything was done on the fly. Now there will be an offseason to get healthy, a training camp to dive deeper into the playbook. Clarendon said trust within the team came quickly last year

"But now there is the opportunity to coach each other and have that connection that was hard to build in that moment,'' they said.

Reeve said she expects Banham to have her best WNBA season ever. Banham? "I put the work in. So I'm ready for it.''