The WNBA now has all of its head coaching positions filled after eight positions opened this offseason.
Dallas named Chris Koclanes as head coach Monday, then an hour later Washington hired Sydney Johnson as the new chief, completing seven hires.
There is no common thread between the seven hires; three are former college head coaches (Karl Smesko, Lynne Roberts and Johnson), three were WNBA assistants (Koclanes, Johnson and Tyler Marsh) and one is an international coach (Rachid Meziane).
Stephanie White is the only former WNBA head coach to get one of these positions as she leaves Connecticut and returns to Indiana.
With the addition of Golden State next season, which hired Natalie Nakase as coach, the 13 teams will have seven women at the helm and six men.
At the end of the 2022 season, half of the league’s 12 head coaches were Black. Three years later, that number dropped to three, with Noelle Quinn of Seattle the only black woman after Teresa Weatherspoon (Chicago) and Tanisha Wright (Atlanta) were fired. Nakase is the first Asian American to lead a WNBA franchise.
Two of the openings went to black men in Johnson and Marsh.
The WNBA currently has three Black general managers, including Morgan Tuck in Connecticut, Ohemaa Nyanin in Golden State and Jamila Wideman in Washington.
Here’s a look at the eight new WNBA coaches:
Atlanta Dream — Karl Smesko
Experience: Smesko comes to the WNBA after spending 23 years on the Florida Gulf Coast. He had the third-highest winning percentage (.829) among active coaches, behind UConn’s Geno Auriemma and LSU’s Kim Mulkey.
Outlook: His teams have consistently been among the nation’s best in 3-point shooting and the Dream has talented players in Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray.
Chicago Sky — Tyler Marsh
Experience: Swamp heads towards the sky after a successful stint as an assistant coach in Las Vegas, helping the Aces win back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023.
Outlook: Marsh inherits a team led by talented post players Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. The Sky also have the third pick in next year’s WNBA draft.
Connecticut Sun — Rachid Méziane
CV: Meziane arrives in the WNBA after coaching professionally in France for many years and at the head of the Belgian national team. Belgium placed fourth at the Paris Olympics last summer.
Outlook: He inherits an evolving team with several of its best players as unrestricted free agents.
Dallas Wings — Chris Koclanes
Experience: Koclanes worked with new general manager Curt Miller in Connecticut on his staff from 2016-2022 and helped the Sun reach the WNBA Finals in 2019 and 2022. Miller was hired as Wings General Manager last month.
Outlook: The Wings have the No. 1 pick in next April’s draft as well as a solid core led by Arike Ogunbowale.
Golden State Valkyries — Natalie Nakase
Experience: Nakase is the first coach in the history of the expansion franchise. She had great success as an assistant in Las Vegas and the franchise got its first group of players thanks to the expansion project earlier this month.
Outlook: The Valkyries, who are ranked fifth in the draft, are also expected to be active in free agency which begins next month.
Indiana Fever — Stephanie White
Experience: White has the most WNBA experience among offseason rookies. She returns to fever after leading the Connecticut Sun to the playoffs the past two seasons.
Outlook: She has a bright young core to work with, led by the last two WNBA Rookie of the Year winners, record-setting guard Caitlin Clark and center Aliyah Boston.
Los Angeles Sparks — Lynne Roberts
Experience: Roberts is return to his native California after spending nine seasons at the helm of Utah where she went 165-116. She was the Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2023.
Outlook: She inherits a team that finished last in the standings but has a strong young core in Rickea Jackson, Cameron Brink and Dearica Hamby. The Sparks have the No. 2 pick in next year’s WNBA draft.
Washington Mystics — Sydney Johnson
Experience: Johnson has worked with USA Basketball for the past five years and was an assistant coach with the Chicago Sky last season. Before that, the 50-year-old Princeton graduate spent eight years as head coach of the Fairfield University men’s team (2011-2019), leading the Stags to four playoff appearances .
Outlook: He inherits a team that missed the playoffs by one game and is led by Shakira Austin, Brittney Sykes and Ariel Atkins.
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