When the Portland Fire hired Alex Sarama as their first-ever head coach, many fans were disappointed. Another WNBA coaching job had gone to a male NBA assistant coach with no experience in the league—someone who, just a few years ago, wouldn’t even have been interested in moving from the NBA to the WNBA.Â
It sparked serious debates about opportunities for women, particularly Black women and former players, for whom the W presents the only chances to earn head coaching positions. After all, in almost 80 years of existence, no NBA team has ever hired a woman as a head coach. The issue hasn’t disappeared. It’s still absurd that a league primarily made up of Black women on the court is starting its 30th season without a single Black woman acting as a head coach.Â
Nevertheless, it’s only fair to acknowledge that Alex Sarama has done a great job with the Fire so far.Â
Portland is off to a solid start
The Fire didn’t promise to be very competitive. The team is young and inexperienced and is relying on former bench players or fifth starters to fill much bigger roles due to the lack of an established star. Portland seemed primed to be the worst team in the league.Â
While that may still be true—it’s difficult for a team like this to pass up on an opportunity to draft JuJu Watkins—there is a clear vision. Just two games into the season, the Fire already have a clear identity: they are gritty, work hard on defense, and hustle. The players, many of whom have their first opportunity to play significant minutes in Portland, seem determined to bring that vision to life. That effort makes up for a lot of the roster’s youth and limitations.Â
A 98-83 loss to the new-look Chicago Sky wasn’t a bad way to start off the season. A 98-96 win against the New York Liberty was much, much better. The Liberty were short-handed, but still had Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. They should have won this game. But the Fire turned the game into a battle and made the Liberty uncomfortable.Â
The Liberty committed 18 turnovers and gave up 25 points off those mistakes. They also, somehow, lost the battle in the paint by two points, and the Fire outhustled them to close out the game. The game was tied 96-96 when Bridget Carleton took a three over Breanna Stewart with 3.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter. She missed, but Sarah Ashlee Barker hustled for the rebound, grabbing it in a crowd between Jonquel Jones, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Marine Johannes, and Pauline Astier, and got the last-second bucket.Â
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