Mark Davis had clear ideas about what he wanted to accomplish when he purchased the Las Vegas Aces nearly three years ago.
Above all, Davis wanted to create a community for the franchise’s former players, similar to the one his NFL Raiders have long had. He wanted the women who had played at Utah and San Antonio to feel like they were still part of the team, no matter where it was.
He wanted to build the Aces a state-of-the-art training facility, so they would have their own space and not be nomads like they were. And he wanted to create a buzz among Las Vegas fans.
As for the rest?
“Hire really good people. And I have three really great women,” Davis told USA TODAY Sports on Friday, referring to Aces president Nikki Fargas, general manager Natalie Williams and coach Becky Hammon.
“I’m just getting rid of the effects.”
Suffice to say that the formula works. On Monday, the Aces will celebrate their second consecutive title. Despite losing starters Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes to injury before Game 4, the Aces became the first WNBA team to repeat their championship title since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2002.
Aces are not perfect. No organization is. Team and WNBA sued for gender discrimination by former Aces player Dearica Hamby, who says she suffered retaliation because she was pregnant.
Hammon was suspended for the first two games of the season after the WNBA determined it violated “respectful workplace” policies regarding Hamby. The Aces also lost their 2025 first-round pick for offering impermissible benefits while negotiating Hamby’s contract extension.
But Davis was smart enough to know what he doesn’t know and entrust his team to those who do. Which seems to be the opposite of what’s happening in Phoenix.
The Mercury introduced their new head coach Friday, and Nate Tibbetts did little to quell the furor following a a man with no experience in women’s football is hired to coach a WNBA team.
“It’s a new league for me,” Tibbetts said. “I want to be educated. I’m going to talk to our players. I want to hear about the growth of this league. I want to hear and understand the struggles they went through.
“I know I’m going to have to rely on our team to learn how this league works,” he added. “That’s why I’m here. I want to keep seeing different things.
So owner Mat Ishbia and general manager Nick U’Ren view the Mercury as a training camp of sorts. A field learning program.
Or, more likely, they and Tibbetts suffer from the same irrational confidence recognizable to any woman, regardless of where she works. This blind self-confidence that makes some men believe that they are capable of anything, whether they are actually qualified for it or not.
U’Ren had success with the Golden State Warriors. Tibbetts was a career assistant in the NBA. How difficult could it be to lead a WNBA team?
“I am pleased that we can take steps to build a basketball operations team and coaching staff that reflects this diversity and provides opportunities for people of all backgrounds, expertise and skill sets.” , U’Ren said.
Including, apparently, those who have no expertise!
It’s not about whether a man can coach a women’s team. They certainly can, and do, and the good or the bad of this that’s a matter for another day. This is about Mercury taking someone with no experience in women’s football and thinking they’ll be successful just because.
Or thinking it’s okay to pick up a flyer because it’s “only” a WNBA team.
Imagine if a longtime WNBA assistant, who had never coached in men’s soccer at any level, was suddenly hired as head coach of the Boston Celtics. People would lose their minds, and not without reason. Why should it be any different?
The WNBA is the pinnacle of women’s soccer and should be viewed as such. This is not a training ground for someone whose knowledge and, given his professional background, have a heart in men’s football.
And don’t start by saying this sounds like Hammon and Dawn Staley are in the running for NBA head coaching jobs. Hammon had been Gregg Popovich’s assistant for years and had coached San Antonio’s Summer League team. when NBA teams called. Staley had already won a national title in South Carolina and was months away from winning another, when she made Portland shortlist.
Tibbetts would also have entered the WNBA as the highest paid coach in the league, surpassing Hammon’s seven-figure salary. Davis doesn’t question whether Tibbetts should earn more than Hammon, who won two titles in his first two seasons, saying he’s just happy other owners are willing to invest in their teams.
“The fact that they see the effect of hiring a quality person and paying them what they are ‘worth’ is important,” Davis said.
It’s even more important that Mercury leaders recognize the value of their team, as Davis did. The hiring of the Tibbetts and their touting him as a “girl-daddy” as a selling pointit certainly does not inspire confidence.
Follow USA TODAY sports columnist Nancy Armor on social media @nrarmour.
