The New York Liberty finally concluded a lengthy coaching search after deciding not to renew Sandy Brondello’s contract. Golden State Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco will reportedly take over in New York. DeMarco’s hire continues a trend that has defined WNBA coaching ranks recently: teams are increasingly hiring coaches with NBA experience, including men with little or no experience in the women’s basketball space. This has irked many fans of the W—and rightfully so since many of these candidates wouldn’t even have been interested in WNBA jobs a few years ago—but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t up to the task.
DeMarco spent his entire NBA coaching career with the Warriors, starting as a video coordinator in 2012 and working his way up to assistant coach and defensive coordinator positions. He also coached the Bahamas men’s national team. While DeMarco has no experience in the women’s game, his time with the Warriors should help him take one Liberty star’s game to the next level.
DeMarco spent years around Stephen Curry, watching how he operates on offense, how defenses try to slow him down, and how Steve Kerr set him up for success. Curry is widely regarded as the best 3-point shooter in men’s basketball and one of the NBA’s greats. He is currently averaging 42.3% shooting on 9.4 3-point attempts for his career. And yet, Sabrina Ionescu gave him a run for his money in a 3-point contest during NBA All-Star weekend, narrowly losing 29-26. Ionescu could thrive in a warrior-like offense that accentuates her 3-point shot.
Sabrina Ionescu and the Liberty need a bounce-back year
2025 was a disappointing season for the Liberty after their championship run in 2024. Injuries kept the team’s stars out of several games, and the Liberty looked out of sorts for much of the regular season, losing games to the Sky, Sun, Wings, and Sparks. It was a down season for the 2024 champs and calls for significant improvements in the 2026 season. All of the Liberty’s stars will be unrestricted free agents, but it seems likely that they will return for another shot at a title.
2025 was a down season for Sabrina Ionescu in one key aspect of her game: her 3-point shot wasn’t falling. She still averaged 18.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.3 steals over 38 regular-season games, but shot only 29.9% from three—a career low. In the playoffs, Ionescu converted seven of her 32 3-point attempts.
Ionescu and the rest of the Liberty squad need a bounce-back year to return to championship form. Some fresh energy on the sidelines could help get the team there.
Chris DeMarco will be under a lot of pressure with the Liberty
Being a first-time head coach is difficult. Being a first-time head coach with little on-hand knowledge of the inner workings of the WNBA, who is expected to lead a star-studded contender, is even more difficult. The WNBA will feature four first-time head coaches next season: DeMarco, Jose Fernandez, Alex Sarama, and Sonia Raman.
Fernandez faces the pressure of leading Paige Bueckers and the young Wings to success after an abysmal 2025 season. That task comes with many challenges and expectations. DeMarco faces even higher expectations. If Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, and Jonquel Jones re-sign with the Liberty, the expectation is that the team will contend for a championship and nothing less.
DeMarco knows what it’s like to work with a team that faces that kind of pressure, but moving into the main leadership role will still be an adjustment, and he won’t have much time to get used to his new responsibilities.