Two recent ones WNBA The head coach hiring could be a sign of a broader shift across the women’s basketball landscape.
On Tuesday Los Angeles Sparks They announced the hiring of Utah head coach Lynne Roberts, who made the jump from college basketball to the professional ranks for the first time in her career. Her hiring took place a week later. Atlanta Dream We hired Karl Smesko. Florida Gulf CoastHe served as coach for over 20 seasons. Two leading offensive minds in the college game are now WNBA coaches.
It’s rare for a WNBA franchise to turn to a college coach to fill a vacant position, but they’re being targeted more than in years past, according to multiple league sources.
Part of the change is financial. WNBA head coach salaries in 2024 will range from about $350,000 to just over $1 million per year, nearly double what they were five years ago, according to multiple league sources. Roberts earned about $700,000 from Utah last season, while Smesko earned about $450,000, according to USA Today’s salary database. It is safe to assume that the franchise has offered similar salaries or pay increases.
Hiring a college coach from a mid-major or less established Power 5 program has always been more realistic and cheaper than hiring from the upper echelon of college basketball. With more comparable salaries (and the willingness of WNBA teams to pay for acquisitions), professional opportunities have become more attractive. This is especially true amid changing dynamics such as conference realignment, NILs, and high turnover rates in college athletics. Conflicting schedules – Roberts and Smesko left the program with the season already underway. – It doesn’t seem to be a deterrent anymore.
But no WNBA franchise would hire a coach without one. NBAAfter G League or previous WNBA (player, assistant or head coach) experience chicago sky After his tenure, Pokey Chatman was hired by Spartak Moscow in 2011. LSU. The hiring of Roberts and Smesko could send a signal to the rest of the women’s basketball team that the college-to-pro coaching path could be a viable pipeline, depending on how well they perform in the WNBA.
Their arrival highlights a change in the way the WNBA game is played, as increased awareness of offensive efficiency through 3-pointers and layups is key to success.
Roberts and Smesko are known for their aggressive philosophies. Smesko placed an overwhelming emphasis on 3-point shooting (since 2009-10 – first year data available via Her Hoop Stats – FGCU has ranked in the top four in Division I in 3-point attempt percentage every season). Over the past three seasons under Roberts, Utah has ranked first in 3-point field goal attempts, second in rim attack rating and third in effective field goal percentage.
After attempting a league-low 14.9 3-pointers per game last year, the Chicago Sky made a similarly philosophical decision in hiring Tyler Marsh. Natalie Nakase should bring modern offensive principles to the Golden State Valkyries, just as Nate Tibbetts did last season when he moved from NBA to NBA. phoenix mercury. (that new york liberty Last season, he led the league with 29 3-point attempts per game. The Mercury and Liberty combined for a WNBA record 33 3-pointers in a game last season.)
The WNBA continues to change in many ways.
will wings, mystic or sun Is it time to hire?
There are three head coaching positions remaining: the Washington Mystics, Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun.
Curt Miller, the Wings’ recently hired general manager, called the ongoing search “global.” (More on Dallas’ developments later.)
The Sun on behalf of Stephanie White indiana fever I got the job shortly after Connecticut announced the split. White recently confirmed that her top two assistants, Briann January and Austin Kelly, have interviewed for head coach positions this cycle. It wouldn’t be surprising if either one ended up becoming the Sun’s next head coach. If neither is high, one or both could follow White to Indiana.
After an illustrious playing career that included nine seasons with the Fever, January enters her third season as a WNBA coach. She is well-liked throughout the league and is currently coaching as an assistant with the Motor City Cruise, the G League affiliate of the Detroit Pistons. Prior to joining Sun, Kelly had several years of college experience, including working as director of recruiting at White. Vanderbilt. His wife, Karima Christmas-Kelly, has been an assistant with the Fever for the past two seasons.
White said he hopes to bring them to Indiana and continue working together. “I want to keep Karima involved,” White said.
The Mystics are still conducting their search after parting ways with general manager Mike Thibault and coach Eric Thibault about a month ago. They want to hire a coach and GM by January 1, and a person with knowledge of the process has been identified. Like Los Angeles and Atlanta, the Mystics’ management group hired a search firm to identify promising candidates. The Washington Post first reported the possible timeline and search company. Coincidence or not, so far in this cycle every coach-related hire has resulted in a college hire.
What’s next for Teresa Weatherspoon?
The Chicago Sky surprised many, including Weatherspoon, by firing her just 11 months after hiring her. When she was hired, co-owner Nadia Rawlinson praised her as “the perfect choice to build on our championship culture and usher in an exciting new era.”
Speaking publicly for the first time about the layoffs on Wednesday, Weatherspoon said: “It was not a decision I anticipated.”
Weatherspoon, who was replaced by Marsh on November 2, has already moved on. She is one of six coaches hired for the inaugural season of Unrivaled, a fledgling 3×3 winter basketball league that begins Jan. 17. However, she did not rule out a return to the WNBA next season.
“That remains to be seen,” Weatherspoon said. “One thing about me is that I don’t run away from anything. I don’t need to hide anything. I don’t have to answer anything. Because I know how hard I worked. And I know that my opportunity will come and I will be ready.”
A possible fit could be in Las Vegas. ace After Nakase and Marsh leave, there are still assistant coaching positions open. (They announced Ty Ellis as one of their new assistants.) Weatherspoon was a longtime teammate of Aces coach Becky Hammon, and the two remain close friends.
The decision to join Unrivaled is not expected to prevent Weatherspoon or other coaches in the league from pursuing other potential WNBA coaching jobs. Unrivaled ends March 17, more than a month before WNBA training camps begin. Two other coaches in the league, Andrew Wade and Nola Henry, were also on WNBA staffs last season and could return to the W this summer.
Smesko has been targeted by the WNBA before.
Entering this college season, Smesko boasted the third-highest winning percentage among active college coaches. UConnGeno Auriemma and LSU’s Kim Mulkey. So it’s no surprise that the team previously attempted to hire Smesko from FGCU.
Over the years, Smesko has interviewed in Indiana, Illinois, Oregon and elsewhere. In 2017, he turned down the company’s offer. USCAccording to Sports Illustrated. Smesko said she interviewed for a WNBA head coaching opportunity a few years ago but fell through “at the last minute.” (He declined to identify the team.)
“When another opportunity arose, I wanted to hear about it,” Smesko said of Dream. “Everything aligned well with what they were looking for and my strengths as a coach.”
Will the No. 1 pick affect the Wings’ coaching search?
Don’t expect immediate change in Dallas. Miller said Sunday that while the No. 1 pick has changed the trajectory of a team in recent years, that impact was rarely seen in the No. 1 pick’s rookie season. In the past 10 years, there has only been one #1 pick (Jackie Young) is on a team that finished its first season above .500.
The Sparks fired Miller as head coach after two years this offseason, but he almost joined the Wings two years ago. He was a finalist to coach the Wings in 2023 and ended up taking the Sparks’ job, according to league sources. That previous relationship was important to Miller when he took the GM position a few years later.
Miller said there is “tremendous interest” in the head coaching position and expects more interest depending on the outcome of the lottery. The widespread assumption is that the Wings will assume UConn’s role. Paige BukersSomeone who can transform a franchise.
Assuming they keep their selection, the Wings will become the fourth franchise in five years to have a new pair of coaches with the No. 1 pick (the only exception was the Fever’s Christie Sides last season). Sides in 2023, Tanisha Wright in 2022, and Vicki Johnson in 2021 were each recruited before the WNBA Draft Lottery. Liberty hired coach Walt Hopkins after the 2020 lottery and secured a top pick.
Why did Katie Smith go back to college?
Smith is a former Liberty head coach and longtime Minnesota Lynx I took on the role of assistant in assistant. ohio state To the next stage of her career. The news comes despite Smith, a Hall of Fame player and W’s coach for 10 years, being widely considered a favorite to take one of the many openers this offseason. Smith was most recently an assistant coach for the Lynx. She was the Liberty’s head coach for two seasons, but her tenure came during a period of rapid transition within the franchise as it moved from Madison Square Garden to the Westchester County Center and saw its resources significantly reduced.
Smith said his decision to return to college coaching had more to do with his personal life than with factors related to the professional league.
“Family time. I got married a year ago, I have a seventh grader and a freshman here at Ohio State, and my parents are getting older,” she said. “Home is here in Columbus.”
She is a member of the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame, has a home in the city and has remained involved with the program. But this assistant position is her first official role with the Buckeyes since graduating in 1996.
This article originally appeared on: athletic.
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