Being a WNBA coach is not an easy job, especially with the recent explosion of popularity and people increasingly expressing some not-so-kind opinions on social media. Coaches are often the scapegoats for everything that goes wrong with a team, which tends to lead to shaky job security and short stints with teams.
The Dallas Wings, for example, fired rookie head coach Chris Koclanes after just one season, never really giving him a chance to get accustomed to his new position. The previous three Wings coaches all lasted only two seasons each. Last year, the Chicago Sky fired Teresa Weatherspoon after her first season as a head coach. After the 2024 season, the Fever also parted ways with Christie Sides after just two seasons. Winning is always the ultimate goal in professional sports, and WNBA coaches have been under a lot of pressure to deliver right away.
The Portland Fire cannot afford to follow the same trend and not give first-year head coach Alex Sarama the room to adjust, grow, and develop as he tackles a completely new challenge.
Being a first-year head coach is not easy
Alex Sarama has made a name for himself as a player development specialist. He founded an organization, Transforming Basketball, that delivers coaching clinics all across the world and published a book about his approach to coaching. On top of that, he has worked for the NBA Europe office, the London Lions, the G League’s Rip City Remix, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
While Sarama comes with a good reputation, going from being a player development or assistant coach to a WNBA head coach is not an easy jump to make. Being in charge of players’ skill work is different than leading a whole team in a league he has no experience with.
So, the Fire will have to be okay with giving Sarama the runway to grow into his new role and not succumb to the temptation of hiring a new coach after just one or two bad seasons. After all, as an expansion team, the Fire still have to build a culture that players will want to play for. Cycling through coaches in the franchise’s early years may not be the best way to do that.
So far, everything suggests that the Fire won’t make that mistake. Sarama and the Fire’s GM Vanja Černivec already worked together before, and the latter seems very thrilled about Sarama’s ability to implement an innovative system. Both suggest that Černivec is prepared to trust the process, even if it takes Sarama some time to amass wins.