The growing visibility around Napheesa Collier and other Lynx players is doing more than boosting interest in the professional game. At Community School of Excellence, it is giving young players new names to follow, new moves to copy and new reasons to stay engaged with basketball.
That is the wider point behind Napheesa Collier WNBA free agency discussions in a broader media landscape that has expanded how young people can see high-profile Lynx players such as Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams and Olivia Miles. For coach Myles Moore, that access has changed the way his athletes talk about the game.
Why more visibility matters
Over the past few years, media deals have widened the paths for young fans to watch top players more often. That matters in youth sports, where inspiration can come from a single clip, a jersey or a player who suddenly feels close enough to imitate.
Moore said his athletes were sending him clips and videos of Olivia Miles after the WNBA draft last spring, even before she had played a game. The reaction only grew from there. During the season, Miles became a cultural phenom and her No. 5 jersey became a mainstay at Target Center.
For a coach working with 8- to 12-year-olds, that kind of recognition is powerful. It turns the WNBA from something distant into something children can see, discuss and bring into their own practices.
How coaches are using that energy
Moore has been clear that he sees coaching as more than teaching drills. He said he started coaching out of love for the game and a desire to pass it on to the younger generation, and he described pouring into his students and athletes as something that gives back to him too.
He also said that when he is with the children, basketball is the shared focus. That common interest helps him connect with them and gives him a way to introduce something new that they already care about.
Moore’s approach is simple: if the kids are excited by what they see from Lynx players, use that excitement. He told them, in effect, that if they are sending him clips and showing him what they can do, then they should try to bring those same ideas into their own game.
That makes the influence of Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams and Olivia Miles bigger than a highlight reel. It becomes part of how young players learn confidence, build habits and imagine themselves on the court.
The impact is also visible around the team itself. The Lynx hosted a goggle giveaway in honor of Olivia Miles, another sign of how quickly a player can become part of the wider culture around a team.
In the end, this is what expanded access can do. It does not just sell interest at the top level. It helps coaches at Community School of Excellence reach children who are still finding their connection to basketball, and it gives them real players to look up to while they do it.
