Unrivaled has announced the slate of head coaches for its second season, introducing the four returning and four new coaches who will lead the three-on-three league in January.
Among the notable names joining the league this season is Noelle Quinn, who was let go by the Seattle Storm last month after five years with the team. Quinn will coach Breeze Basketball Club, one of two expansion teams added by the league in its second season. The other expansion club, Hive BC, will be coached by Rena Wakama, an assistant with the Chicago Sky and the former coach of the Nigerian women’s basketball team.
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Quinn becomes the second former WNBA head coach to join Unrivaled, along with Teresa Weatherspoon. Weatherspoon, who joined the league in its inaugural season after being fired by the Sky last year, is returning as the head coach of Vinyl BC.
In addition to Weatherspoon, three of the coaches from last season are returning to the league. Nola Henry, an assistant with the Dallas Wings, returns as the coach of Rose BC; Andrew Wade, the Director of Player Development with the New York Liberty, is coaching the Laces; and DJ Sackmann, a basketball trainer and the founder of HoopStudy, is back to coach the Lunar Owls.
Two of last year’s coaches, Dallas Mavericks assistant Phil Handy and former Brooklyn Nets assistant Adam Harrington, are not returning to the league. In their place, Liberty assistant coach Zach O’Brien is taking over Mist BC, while Connecticut Sun assistant Roneeka Hodges is now head coach of the Phantom.
Unrivaled has prepared for its sophomore season with a slew of notable names joining the eight teams, including players like Kelsey Plum and Paige Bueckers making their debut in the three-on-three league.
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Unrivaled’s second season also starts up at an uncertain time for the WNBA, with contentious negotiations for the new collective bargaining agreement still ongoing. With the current CBA set to expire on Friday, the league recently offered a 30-day extension to the players’ association, though it is unclear whether the union will accept.
Even with the CBA negotiations possibly having an impact on the WNBA’s relationship with other leagues, Unrivaled has clear ties to the WNBA. All but three of Unrivaled’s head coaches are currently employed by WNBA teams; two of those that are not, Quinn and Weatherspoon, only recently parted ways with the league.
