SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JUNE 13: Assistant Coach Chris DeMarco and Jordan Poole #3 of the Golden State Warriors look on during Game Five of the 2022 NBA Finals on June 13, 2022 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
After a two month search, the New York Liberty have their head coach.
On Friday, Shams Charania of ESPN broke the news that Golden State Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco, who comes equipped with four NBA rings, will be the new head coach. He succeeds Sandy Brondello, who led the Liberty to their first championship in team history in her four seasons here.
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DeMarco was a late contender in this process. We first learned he was a contender in this race when Madeline Kenney of the New York Post reported the team was considering him on November 18. He leaves the Warriors after spending 13 years with the franchise in a variety of roles. In college, he played for Dominican University before beginning his NBA journey as a coach. DeMarco also serves as the head coach for the Bahamian Men’s National Team where he worked alongside Ole Miss head coach, Yolett McPhee-Mccuin. V.J. Edgecombe is the most prominent member of the team.
DeMarco played a big role as the lead player development coach in Golden State, and in his time there he helped players like Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney, and Klay Thompson reach their full potential. DeMarco also served as one of the lead assistants that ran the Warriors defense. He’s someone that earned the respect of everyone in the locker room and was able to express himself clearly and directly.
“His voice is huge,” Draymond Green said in 2023. “His voice is huge on this coaching staff. Chris DeMarco is one of those guys that’s not afraid to hear his own voice, that’s going to have those tough-ass conversations. He’s not afraid to challenge anyone. And I think that’s a special thing.”
During this process, Sabrina Ionescu reached out to Stephen Curry to learn about DeMarco and what he brings to the table
So far, the hire has been met with rave reviews across the basketball community. Our SB Nation colleague at Breakaway, Noa Dalzell, broke the hire down and what we should know about DeMarco
With this hire, the Liberty continue a pretty interesting trend. The team prioritized NBA experience in their coaching search as all of the final candidates worked as assistants in the Association. And with the coaching cycle complete, there will be more men head coaches in the WNBA than women next season. It’s a tricky conversation, and I walked through a potential blind spot of mine on the topic a while back
It’s a big conversation that I’m sure we’ll revisit in the near future.
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Work to do
UNCASVILLE, CT – OCTOBER 01: New York Liberty co-owner Clara Wu Tsai and New York Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb pose for a photo during Game 4 of the Semifinals of the WNBA Playoffs between the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun on October 1, 2023, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. (Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
DeMarco joins a Liberty team that has a lot to figure out following their early playoff exit in 2025. At his exit interview, General Manager Jonathan Kolb mentioned that the team needs to improve on its offense as it was fifth in offensive rating after top two finishes in 2023 and 2024. The Liberty didn’t get to the rim enough in 2025 and the team hopes DeMarco can help scheme up more shots in the paint for this group. More specifically, Kolb is fully aware of the challenges facing his team and improving competition across the WNBA landscape:
“I think that the game is changing rapidly. I honestly don’t even know it’s the same league as in 2023. I think that we’re seeing a basketball style on both sides of the ball that is rapidly changing, and I think that that will impact our decisions, not only that we made recently, but also roster as we look at our build and making sure that we are not standing still and we provide the right ingredients for whomever sits in that coaching seat to cook with.”
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We’ll also see how Kolb reshapes the roster. With most of the league’s veterans entering free agency whenever WNBA free agency actually begins, Kolb and the Liberty will be looking to find players that best fit DeMarco’s vision. Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally are the only two rotation players aren’t entering free agency, and we’ll see how they fit into the new coach’s plans. Fiebich fought through injury and fatigue in 2025 as she took on a greater workload due to the various frontcourt injuries on the roster. Can DeMarco get Fiebich to become a player that attacks more often off the dribble and creates shots for her teammates? If he can, Fiebich’s game can reach new heights. For Sabally, she won’t be playing this winter and will use this time to recover from right knee injuries and hope for a healthier 2026. When she’s healthy, she provides great rim running and a soft touch at the basket.
We’ll have to wait a while for those roster questions to be answered. The Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations between the league office and Players’ Association appear to be at a stalemate with no end in sight. Until that’s resolved, the expansion draft and free agency will be on hold.
With the hire of DeMarco, the Liberty step into a new future. The organization has pushed to make itself one of the best in sports on and off the court. They have shown a willingness to invest and spend to be a place that’s attractive for players, coaches, and fans alike. As they try to rebound from a tough 2025, DeMarco’s hire is the first step in a multipronged plan to make it back to the WNBA Finals. It’s going to be exciting to see where things go from here.
