Chris DeMarco surprised many when he felt comfortable admitting that he was not overly familiar with the WNBA or the New York Liberty in his introductory press conference. He said he would order books to learn everything he needed to know, but that plan evidently did not work out. The Liberty had some great moments, like sweeping the Minnesota Lynx in the playoffs and making rookie phenom Olivia Miles notably uncomfortable with their defensive pressure. But overall DeMarco seemed utterly unprepared to lead a star-studded title contender.
When you take over a championship team built around Breanna Stewart, you don’t have much time to learn on the fly. You have to be ready and prepared from the second you take over. The margin of error as the Liberty head coach is that small.
“We want to win a championship every single time we step on the court,” Stewart, who has won three titles already, said in her final media availability. “But it’s really hard in this league, and in order to do that, you need to be consistent for the full 44 games, and now it’s going to be 50. I don’t think we were consistent throughout the season. We started to show some life and peak a little bit towards the end and really in the playoffs, but this is not like cramming for a test…You gotta be ready and ready to go since the jump.”
Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones also didn’t endorse DeMarco’s future as Liberty head coach in that media availability. So, it really wasn’t surprising that the franchise will be looking for a new head coach once again.
Anyone who is up for the position needs to look at DeMarco’s short-lived tenure and realize that they have to be prepared to lead a title contender from the minute they interview for the position. Stewart is an amazing player and leader, but she cannot make up for an incompetent or unprepared head coach—and she shouldn’t have to.
Firing Sandy Brondello looks a lot worse now
When the Liberty first parted ways with Sandy Brondello, it came as a surprise to many. Brondello had just led the team to a title a season ago and is one of the most respected coaches in the W. When reporters asked whether the players had considered a potential head coaching change in their final media availability, Stewart reacted with shock and disbelief.
Still, one could argue that it was simply time for a change, that the Brondello era in New York had run its course. A season later, the decision simply looks bad. And it will continue to age badly if the Liberty cannot get her replacement right this time around. It will be difficult to find someone with as much WNBA head coaching experience as Brondello.
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