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What do the Liberty need to consider in their head coach search?

By Jackie Powell

MINNEAPOLIS, MN- MAY 10: Sylvia Fowles #34 and Assistant Coach Walt Hopkins look on before the game against the Washington Mystics on May 10, 2019 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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 the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN- MAY 10: Sylvia Fowles #34 and Assistant Coach Walt Hopkins look on before the game against the Washington Mystics on May 10, 2019 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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 the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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An ability to handle that New York pressure

DURHAM, NC – DECEMBER 08: Coach Charlotte Smith during an NCAA women’s basketball game between the Elon University Phoenix and the Duke University Blue Devils on December 08, 2016, at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina..(Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC – DECEMBER 08: Coach Charlotte Smith during an NCAA women’s basketball game between the Elon University Phoenix and the Duke University Blue Devils on December 08, 2016, at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina..(Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Katie Smith handled living, playing and coaching in New York with grace. And she clearly enjoyed it as well. The expectations associated with putting on quality entertainment for one of the most populous cities in the country are daunting. As is the media pressure.

Kolb should be searching for someone who either has experience in a large city, has a history with the Liberty or is self-assured enough to handle New York. Vickie Johnson could be someone to interview. She is a New York Liberty legend and has experience with a Laimbeer-ian system as she currently serves as an assistant on the Aces bench. While the Liberty are accustomed to this style, Johnson posses similar strengths and weaknesses of her would-be predecessor Smith if Johnson were hired.

The Liberty need to distance themselves from connections to their old system, and that message was sent by cutting ties with Smith. But, a quality Smith adapted from her predecessor was her ability to be a players’ coach, a leader who understands the grind of the WNBA and will defend her personnel until the end.

Charlotte Smith, a five year WNBA veteran and current head coach of Elon University’s  Pheonix has been described as someone who has the ability to “make an impact on her players from the start.” Smith’s experience as an assistant coach for a younger brand of USA basketball, where she’s scouted international players, could also make her a possibility for New York.

For Kolb, having a solid connection with New York’s next head coach will be integral. He imagines that he and that person will “meld [their] own visions together” for the Liberty.

“We are going to have a great partnership with the coaches and will establish that culture together,” he said. “Winners are built in the locker room.”

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