24/7/365 womens basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff, dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. After the all-star reserves were announced on Tuesday afternoon, Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith made the cut, joining teammate Brittney Griner who was named an honorary all-star starter. I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBAs Phoenix Mercury this season, and in doing so, I look forward to being able to say thank you to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person soon, Griner wrote on Instagram. Jan 21, 2022 The Phoenix Mercury will announce Vanessa Nygaard as their head coach on Monday, sources told The Athletic. She replaces Sandy Brondello, whose contract wasn't renewed after taking the Mercury to the WNBA Finals last season, and becomes the 10th head coach in the franchise's 25 years. Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images Jackie Powell declares the biggest All Star snubs. Because of that, you have to fill in the rest of the roster. In the press release announcing Nygaards hire, Pitman said he spoke to more than a dozen coaching candidates and conducted more than 20 interviews, many of which we know of publicly. Taurasi, 39, may very well be the sport's GOAT (greatest of all time). We liked Megan, but we only have so many dollars under the cap, and unfortunately, we were in a position where we had to make a roster move.. Vanessa Nygaard (born March 13, 1975 in Scottsdale, Arizona) is a professional basketball coach and former player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Returning to play postpartum is different for everyone. But lets also stipulate that even if Griner were here, things would have gone seriously off the rails. Basketball Hall of Famer and current New Orleans Pelicans assistant Teresa Weatherspoon was a finalist for the position, but Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Weatherspoon removed her name from consideration for the role after the Pelicans pushed to keep her. While that cant open up two full roster spots, it would allow for a lot more wiggle room to add in players on either the veteran minimum ($72,141) or by sprinkling in a bit more to players. The Phoenix Mercury will announce Vanessa Nygaard, who most recently worked with the Las Vegas Aces, as their head coach on Monday, The Athletic's Chantel Jennings reported. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Also learn how She earned most of networth at the age of 45 years old? Griner, 32, is a larger-than-life personality as the world has come to see and the season felt empty without her presence. "A player that played in the championship game is in a Russian prison!". The WNBA season is very short, so you have to come with that intensity from the very beginning., The Suns introduced and welcomed Nygaard at the break between the first & second quarter. But as she was on her way to the airport to fly to the state she was born in and become the new head coach of the Phoenix Mercury, her 9-year-old son let her know the stakes of her job better than anyone else could. Nygaard's coaches and colleagues believe in her ability, but it was one of her 9-year-old twins who offered some last-minute advice on the way to the airport to board a flight to Phoenix. Weeks into the season, cameras caught Taurasi and Diggins-Smith needing to be separated on the bench. But that sense was shattered when the announcement of letting Brondello go dropped on Dec. 6. We certainly appreciate all of Sandys efforts, Pitman said. It was a stacked squad that featured two MVPs (Charles, Taurasi), three No. On Monday, Jennings reports that the Mercury will officially name Nygaard their head coach. There were hurt feelings aftermath of the collapse, but the general sense at the exit interviews the next day was a desire to run it back with as similar of a core group as possible. Vanessa Nygaard's salary must have been significant. Those are things handled in-house.. Jennings reports that Nygaards next step is to fill out the rest of her staff next week. SF Bay Area native, 2x grad (Elon, ASU), adjunct professor at ASU's Cronkite School, editor & journalist always looking to tell unique stories. Get notification with the latest net worth updates for free. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native has coached and won at every level of the womens game, most recently last season as an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces. But after her near-decade at Windward, it was the right time to consider a move. We only get one chance to make this decision and we had to get the right decision, Pitman said. Hear from Hayden, who has been in the room for these pressers, about what is going on in Phoenix. Then I would have promoted the All-Star game.. But SDS didnt take it down, liked some responses that approvingly read it as a shot at Nygaard, and more to the point, Nygaard herself understood what the intent was. I'm so excited to see what she can bring to the Phoenix's big 3! Why wouldnt I want to coach great players and coach a great team? Nygaard said. Having played for such well-known teams. Nygaard joked. Phoenix Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard thinks there is a glaring omission from the 2022 WNBA all-star list. Charlotte Carrolls WNBA fashion piece is so good, Ill link to it even with cat slander in it. Nygaard is a former player and Scottsdale, Arizona, native who worked as an assistant last season in Las Vegas. Nygaard has already decided to post-pone herknee surgery until after the season, and willattempt to play in the Tournament if Stanfordsurvives its first-round game against Harvard onSaturday. Los Angeles, for instance, clearly isnt sold on Chennedy Carter as its lead guard of the future. Of the remaining players currently under contract, Brianna Turner was brought to Phoenix via the draft in 2019 and the other four Skylar Diggins-Smith, Bria Hartley, Kia Vaughn and Shey Peddy came aboard in 2020. her first public statement since touching down on U.S. soil. A 1998 All-Pac-10 selection who won four conference titles with the Cardinal and appeared in three Final Fours, Vanessa Nygaard went on to play six seasons i. "If it. Howard is the founder of The Next and editor-in-chief. And Phoenix is shopping her, multiple teams confirmed to me. Signing both stars to supermaxes would leave approximately $411,000 for six players, putting them in the same situation as recent years in that younger or less established players will need to fill out the roster. The Mercury have $538,850 tied up in Diggins-Smith ($234,350), DeShields ($154,500) and Brianna Turner ($150,000). Try a week on us. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered . A Scottsdale native, Nygaard was announced as the 10th coach in Mercury history on Monday after a nine-year stint as a . Taurasi, 40, has dealt with injuries in recent seasons that kept her out of the lineup, but her production has been similar to others in her 18-year career. Nygaard served as an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces last season when she took a year off from high school coaching. We have all the pieces that we need to climb up to the very top of the mountain of a WNBA championship, Nygaard said. Vanessa Nygaard, who coached players like Liz Cambage last season as a Las Vegas Aces assistant, has wanted to be a WNBA head coach since she last played in the league in 2003. Vanessa Nygaard, who played for Stanford from 1993-98, was a WNBA assistant coach last season on Bill Laimbeer's staff in Las Vegas. She shot 4/7 from two, 3/7 from three, shooting at 50.0% from the field. 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New Phoenix Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard holds up a Mercury jersey with general manager Jim Pitman at her introductory press conference on Monday. She began her coaching career as an assistant with Long Beach State and Pepperdine before moving into the WNBA in 2008 as an assistant on Dan Hughes San Antonio Stars staff. There will be a game in Chicago, but it will not be an All-Star game because Diana Taurasi is not playing Mercury HC Vanessa Nygaard pic.twitter.com/0Ivq9KI7hs, As one WNBA coach put it to me, I would have never excluded Sky from the All-Star talkwould have ended with how happy we were for Sky, she is going to represent the Mercury and were excited for her. It was a bit of a surprise, especially after Pitman spoke so highly of Walker at the exit interviews. Diana Taurasi is not an all-star? Nygaard said. Next will be to build her staff and handle free agency and the draft. The IX: Basketball Wednesday with Howard Megdal, July 6, 2022. Nygaard replaces Sandy Brondello, who was hired as the New York Libertys head coach in early January after her contract expired following the 2021 season. Please only use it for a guidance and Vanessa Nygaard's actual income may vary a lot from the dollar amount shown above. But Cunningham will likely look for a raise and Peddy could be out longer term in rehab. As Brittney Griner readies for trial this week in Russia, her head coach with the Phoenix Mercury can't help but wonder if the situation would be resolved already if it were LeBron James who . At this point, the Mercury have seven players officially under contract for 2022, including three players (Diggins-Smith, Griner and Taurasi) making the supermaximum and Bria Hartley making the maximum. 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She is currently serving as an assistant coach with the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). of 4 NEXT And that person is Nygaard, who stepped away from Windward School in Los Angeles, California she coached her final games over the weekend and will immediately hit the ground running with the Mercury. Sitting on the dais inside the bowels of the Footprint Center, flanked by Pitman, was a moment Nygaard had worked toward for almost 20 years. I wanted to make sure we got the right person.. It's a statement about the value of a Black person. Vanessa Nygaard Career After Vanessa graduated from Stanford, she started her six-year career in the WNBA. It didnt matter if their eight-time All-Star center never played in the WNBA again. The level of shock around the league mirrored my own. Subscriptions include some exclusive content, but the reason for subscriptions is a simple one: making sure our writers and editors creating 24/7/365 womens basketball coverage get paid to do it. But now that shes officially on board as the head coach, Nygaard will immediately begin the process of filling out her coaching staff while getting up-to-speed on the Mercurys priorities in free agency. She is from United States. #WNBA pic.twitter.com/GUcCHrP9gz. Speaking with reporters on Monday, Vanessa Nygaard, head coach of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, posited that Griner would be back in the US by now if she were NBA superstar LeBron James. I know what goes on in the locker room, I know whats going on with practice. After reiterating it was time to find a new voice, he solicited some names from his players, as well as traits players liked and disliked in their coaches and began the seven-week journey from letting one coach go to bringing in another. But Im a believer in players getting their value.. The search comes after the Mercury spoke with more than a dozen. Her father, who is from Tucson, two hours south of Phoenix, went to the University of Arizona, and her mother went to Arizona State -- a house divided. "Vanessa Nygaard, coach of WNBA Phoenix Mercury, re: Brittney Griner. It goes back to my philosophy that we pay our best players what theyre worth, Pitman said. It's actually a myth about how to make money on Facebook Vanessa Nygaard (born March 13, 1975 in Scottsdale, Arizona) is a professional basketball coach and former player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In October, she announced she was pregnant with her second child, which is likely why she missed those games. Vanessa Nygaard's income source is mostly from being a successful . So, how much is Vanessa Nygaard worth at the age of 46 years old? Because Nygaard publicly apologized to SDS the next day! All of those. And, if her year with the Aces is any indication, it seems like she commanded the respect of the players in Las Vegas from the moment she arrived, throughout the season and into the postseason, where they were ultimately vanquished by the Mercury team shes taking over. Maitreyi Anantharaman gets you caught up on all things clown. which is likely why she missed those games. The tragedy of Brittney Griner, detained unlawfully in Russia, would guarantee that. The club has its big three of Diana Taurasi, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Brittney Griner locked into contracts for the 2022 season. Talking to the media for the first time since electing to not renew Sandy Brondellos contract, Pitman reiterated his message that he felt it was time for a change in leadership. ET at Footprint Center. Here's what to know about her plight. Search instead in Creative? She had previously been an assistant with the San Antonio Stars (2008) and Washington Mystics (2009) for a year each before going to the high school ranks. Its a curious framing, considering that of the 11 players on the Mercury roster in 2021, only two Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner were even on the roster in 2018, let alone going back to 2014s championship-winning season. We are excited to welcome her and her family back to Arizona and to the Mercury family.. 1 overall pick from Baylor was an MVP candidate in 2021, averaging nearly a double-double (20.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg) and leading the Mercury to the WNBA Finals alongside All-Star guards Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith. Nygaard's coaching career began at Long Beach State and Pepperdine before joining Dan Hughes' San Antonio Stars staff in 2008. New Phoenix Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard holds up a Mercury jersey with general manager Jim Pitman at her introductory press conference on Monday. After her final missed shot of the game, the Phoenix Mercury star begged her coach to bench her. Statistics, history, awards and achievements for WNBA player Vanessa Nygaard "If it was LeBron, he'd be home, right? Nygaard returned to the WNBA last season as an assistant with the Aces, who recently replaced head coach Bill Laimbeer with Becky Hammon. Vandersloot to New York, the rise of superteams and a Liberty-Aces WNBA Finals? 2023 www.azcentral.com. Nygaard on Sunday extended an invitation to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to attend the team's game when the Mercury visit the Washington Mystics on Tuesday. Bill Laimbeer with Becky Hammon empty without her presence re: Brittney Griner, 32 is. Holds up a Mercury jersey with general manager Jim Pitman at her introductory press conference on Monday after nine-year... The locker room, I know whats going on with practice Gonzales/NBAE via Images... 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