However, with four openings remaining, the demographic composition of WNBA head coaches is far from settled. Here\u2019s the latest scuttlebutt<\/a> on the thinkings and leanings of the New York Liberty, Dallas Wings, Seattle Storm and Toronto Tempo:<\/p>\n Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n The pressure is on the New York Liberty and general manager Jonathan Kolb to make the right hire after choosing not to retain Sandy Brondello, who not only delivered the first championship in franchise history in 2024 and became the organization\u2019s winningest head coach over her four seasons in Brooklyn, but also had the full support<\/a> of the team\u2019s stars.<\/p>\n Bringing in a head coach with NBA experience appears to be the top priority, according to The Athletic\u2019s Ben Pickman<\/a>. As previously reported<\/a>, former WNBA players who have had opportunities within NBA organizations in Lindsey Harding, currently a Los Angeles Lakers\u2019 assistant, and Kristi Toliver, an assistant with the Phoenix Mercury, are under consideration. During the WNBA Finals, Mercury star Alyssa Thomas endorsed Toliver\u2019s head coaching potential<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another candidate in New York is Sonia Raman, a current Liberty assistant who was an assistant with the Memphis Grizzles for four seasons. A finalist for one of last offseason\u2019s head coach openings, Raman \u201cis highly regarded for her ability to connect with players and her technical approach to the game,\u201c per Pickman<\/a>.<\/p>\n Other contenders for the job lack any experience in women\u2019s basketball. That includes current Charlotte Hornets coaching advisor Will Weaver. Previously, Weaver was a Brooklyn Nets assistant who spent time as the head coach of their G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. (The Nets are owned by Liberty owner Joe Tsai.) Weaver also has a more extensive men\u2019s basketball resume, holding other assistant and head coaching positions at the collegiate, international and NBA levels. Joseph Blair likewise boasts a significant track record in men\u2019s basketball, playing overseas before becoming an NBA assistant. Currently, he is serving his second stint as the head coach of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the G League affiliate of the Houston Rockets.<\/p>\n Paige Bueckers with Dallas Wings assistant coaches Nola Henry and Camille Smith. Getty Images<\/p>\n It could be argued that Dallas Wings general manager Curt Miller is under as much, if not more, pressure than Kolb in New York, as his first stab at hiring the head coach to steward the Paige Bueckers era, his mentee Chris Koclanes, was a bust.<\/p>\n The presence of Bueckers is a burden and blessing for Miller. While his decision will be highly scrutinized, a wide range of candidates should be interested, as the opportunity to coach one of the WNBA\u2019s most promising talents makes the job appealing to those who otherwise might be discouraged by the volatility that has characterized the Wings organization since their arrival in Dallas. That the organization \u201cis prepared to invest in the role financially,\u201d as reported by The Athletic\u2019s Pickman<\/a>, should further attract candidates from across the basketball landscape.<\/p>\n With previous head coaching experience a reported priority, Brondello, as well as current Baylor and former Atlanta Dream head coach Nicki Collen, are believed to be in the running. Another name that has emerged from the women\u2019s college ranks is Jose Fernandez, the longtime South Florida head coach who was a finalist for the position last offseason.<\/p>\n From the NBA world, Dave Joerger is the most interesting candidate cited by Pickman<\/a>. Currently an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks, Joerger has held two NBA head coaching positions, first with the Grizzles and then with the Sacramento Kings. Coby Karl, the son of former NBA head coach George Karl who has served as the head coach of the South Bay Lakers and Delaware Blue Coats, the G League affiliates of the Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively, has also received consideration. Karl currently is a men\u2019s basketball assistant at Boise State. The Wings also have expressed interest in Blair.<\/p>\n Skylar Diggins, Dominique Malonga and Nneka Ogwumike. ISI Photos via Getty Images<\/p>\n Brondello, again, is believed to be a candidate for the Seattle Storm. Notably, Brondello crossed paths with Skylar Diggins on the Mercury in 2020 and 2021, with the latter season being the last time Phoenix made it to the WNBA Finals prior to 2025.<\/p>\n Current Indiana Fever assistant Briann January, who spent the final of her 14 seasons as a WNBA player with the Storm, is another candidate. January, who assisted Fever head coach Stephanie White during her two seasons with the Connecticut Sun before following her to Indiana, also worked as an assistant for the Motor City Cruise, the Detroit Pistons\u2019 G League affiliate. Pickman also reports<\/a> that Raman has interviewed for the Storm job.<\/p>\n It seems worth pointing out that Seattle, which has an all-women ownership group, has yet to consider any male candidates, at least based on current reporting.<\/p>\n Toronto Tempo general manager Monica Wright-Rogers. Getty Images<\/p>\n While general manger Monica Wright Rogers assumed her post in February, the WNBA\u2019s first non-US team has yet to make a decision on their first head coach.<\/p>\n Brondello, yet again, is a name to watch, as she is considered the organization\u2019s favored candidate according to Pickman<\/a>. Pickman further reported<\/a> that Brondello \u201cwas on vacation last week, hence a potential delay in the process and her decision could trigger a domino effect around the league. If she\u2019s hired by the Tempo, that could spark a chain reaction in Dallas and Seattle\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Sabrina](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/gettyimages-2233208490.jpg\"\/)
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Paige](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/gettyimages-2234400429.jpg\"\/)
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Skylar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/gettyimages-2223474369.jpg\"\/)
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Toronto](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/gettyimages-2205381183.jpg\"\/)
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