Janel McCarville

Janel McCarville (born November 3, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player from Custer, Wisconsin who is currently an assistant coach for the Minnesota Lynx.

Early life

Born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, McCarville attended Stevens Point Area Senior High (SPASH), where she led her school to a 59–11 record over her final three years.

As a senior, McCarville averaged 19.4 ppg and led her team to a runner-up finish in the 2001 Wisconsin Division I State Tournament. She had tournament averages of 21.7 ppg and 14.7 rpg. She shared the Wisconsin Player of the Year award with Mistie Williams (née Bass) and was honored as an AAU All-American and a member of the 2001 all-state first team.

College career McCarville was a standout collegiate women's basketball player for the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities). She was named the Freshman of the Year in the Big Ten for the 2001-02 season. She also holds the NCAA record for tournament rebound average, with 15 per game.

In 2019, she became the seventh player to have a banner in the rafters at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.

Minnesota statistics

Source During the first half of the 2007 season she earned a place in the Liberty starting lineup, displacing rookie Jessica Davenport. On August 25, 2007, McCarville was named most improved player of the 2007 season.

McCarville continued to play for the Liberty in 2008. She was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week on two occasions during the 2008 season.

In 2011, McCarville decided to not report to training camp, and in accordance with WNBA rules, was suspended for the entire season. This became a point of division for the team's fan base.

On April 16, 2012, it was announced that McCarville intended to take the summer off from basketball in order to spend time with her family.

On March 1, 2013, the Minnesota Lynx acquired McCarville as part of a three-team trade. McCarville filled the void left by the retirement of Taj McWilliams-Franklin, providing a veteran post presence. McCarville also rejoined Gopher teammate Lindsay Whalen, the starting point guard for the Lynx.

McCarville's play improved as the season went along. McCarville helped the team to its second title in three years, and her first as a pro, scoring 10 points in the decisive third game of the 2013 WNBA Finals.

On May 13, 2015, it was announced that McCarville would not be participating in the 2015 WNBA season, primarily due to back pain.

McCarville played her final WNBA season in 2016 with the Lynx.

In 2023, McCarville was named to the Minnesota Lynx All-25 Team (top 25 players) as part of the team's 25th anniversary.

WNBA career statistics

†Denotes seasons in which McCarville won a WNBA championship

Regular season

Playoffs

USA Basketball McCarville was a member of the United States team that won a silver medal at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. McCarville averaged 4.3 points per game. In 2022, she returned to Stevens Point to coach the girls' junior varsity basketball team at her high school alma mater, and then in 2022 she became head coach of the Stevens Point varsity girls' team. In 2026, McCarville returned to the Minnesota Lynx as an assistant coach, joining a coaching staff that includes former teammates Lindsay Whalen and Rebekkah Brunson. Cheryl Reeve said about McCarville's return as a coach: “I’m excited because J-Mac was not one of our people that we flagged as definitely going to get into coaching....as a player she was pretty much anti-authority of any kind, including her coaches, so it’s really interesting to see her on this side of it."