It’s been another offseason of massive coaching turnover in the WNBA. The Seattle Storm let go of Noelle Quinn, the New York Liberty opted not to renew Sandy Brondello’s contract, and the Dallas Wings fired Chris Koclanes after one season.
In addition, both of the WNBA’s expansion teams — the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire — each began (and concluded) their own head coach searches.
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Now, just a few weeks into the offseason, only one head coach position remains open: the Liberty’s.
The Storm hired former Liberty assistant coach Sonia Raman, the Wings selected longtime South Florida coach Jose Fernandez, and the Fire opted for Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Alex Sarama. The Tempo, meanwhile, quickly picked up Brondello herself and formally introduced her on Tuesday morning.
New York remains in search of Brondello’s replacement.
Per Madeline Kenney of the New York Post, the Liberty have interviewed and considered former Nets assistant Will Weaver, Mercury associate head coach Kristi Toliver, and Rockets G League coach Joseph Blair. Raman was previously in the running, too, but accepted the Storm position last month.
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According to Kenney, Lakers assistant Lindsey Harding was also considered a candidate, and the Liberty have interviewed several other unnamed coaches.
A closer look at the prospective Liberty coach candidates
Assuming the list has primarily narrowed to Will Weaver, Kristi Toliver, and Joseph Blair, let’s take a look at what each candidate would bring to a Liberty team looking to contend for a title.
Weaver is currently a coaching advisor for the Charlotte Hornets and is a longtime NBA assistant coach with stints with the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, and Houston Rockets. He was also the G League Coach of the Year in 2019 and previously served as an assistant coach for the Australian national basketball team. Weaver has been in the mix for head coaching positions before and was a runner-up for the Oklahoma City head coaching job in 2020.
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Toliver is a former WNBA point guard who played overseas for most of her career after being selected as the No. 3 overall pick in 2009. She served as an NBA assistant coach from 2018 to 2023, first with the Washington Wizards (2018-2020) and then with the Dallas Mavericks (2021-2023). For the past two years, she’s served as the associate head coach of the Phoenix Mercury under Nate Thibbets. Toliver serves as one of the most experienced assistant coaches in the WNBA and has widely been regarded as a head coach candidate.
Blair is a former professional basketball player who has been in the coaching world since 2013. Currently the head coach of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League, Blair previously served as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Washington Wizards. He’s now a part of the Houston Rockets organization, but has long been
The Liberty coaching search is expected to come to a close in the coming days. Who the franchise chooses to go with remains to be seen, but expectations will be sky-high from Day 1.
