FILE PHOTO: Oct 15, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Phoenix Mercury head coach Sandy Brondello during the second half of game three of the 2021 WNBA Finals against the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo
January 7, 2022
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The New York Liberty announced the hiring of long-time Phoenix Mercury head coach Sandy Brondello on Friday, as the team hunts for their first Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA)championship.
A former WNBA All-Star, Brondello led the Mercury to their third championship title in 2014 and to the finals last year, where they lost to the Chicago Sky, before mutually agreeing to part ways with the team.
Brondello is the Liberty’s ninth head coach in 26 years.
“She has demonstrated her ability to build consistent and sustained success as a skilled leader and mentor on and off the court,” Liberty General Manager Jonathan Kolb said in a statement.
“We are thrilled to welcome her to New York as we move forward in our pursuit of winning a WNBA Championship.”
The Liberty squeaked into the playoffs in 2021 despite a 12 wins and 20 losses season and have endured a four-season slump after the departure of veteran WNBA head coach Bill Laimbeer.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery; Editing by Ken Ferris)
