She joined the Stars in 2006 after five years in a variety of capacities with the Charlotte Sting. Las Vegas (April 14, 2021) Las Vegas Aces Head Coach Bill Laimbeer announced today that the team is adding former WNBA player and coach Vanessa She is a member of famous with the age 47 years old group. "In the past, a lot of teams have it hasn't been an issue to have your coach there only during the season," he said. Nygaard graduated in 1998, majoring in American Studies. 44 days and 20 candidates: Inside the Mercury's quest to find a new coach, WNBA mock draft: Villanova's Siegrist soars into lottery pick, Serena, Griner honored at NAACP Image Awards, Sparks officially re-sign forward N. Ogwumike, Griner on court in 1st open workout since release, WNBA draft set for N.Y., to have 'Orange Carpet', 2-time All-Star C. Ogwumike back with Sparks, Griner officially rejoins Mercury in 'special signing', Yang joins Sparks after FIBA silver with China, WNBA trade grades: Why Wings, Liberty earn top marks in Saturday's four-team trade. Vanessa Nygaard (born March 13, 1975 in Scottsdale, Arizona) is a former professional basketball player and a collegiate assistant coach. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images). us, High School: Vanessa is a great teacher of the game, with coaching experience at all levels including the WNBA and internationally with USA Basketball said Laimbeer. She was featured prominently on billboards alongside 1936 four-time Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens. The Mercury announced Nygaard as their coach during a news conference Monday afternoon. 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. Also, she works at Windward School in Los Angeles as the girls basketball head coach. Facebook; Twitter; Facebook Messenger; Pinterest; Email; print; PHOENIX -- During the car ride from her home in Ladera Heights, California, to the airport for her flight to Arizona to be introduced as the Phoenix Mercury's head coach, Vanessa Nygaard's 9-year-old son wished her luck and then told her she was the shepherd. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The Valley native played five seasons in the WNBA for four different teams from 1999-2003. Nygaard started her coaching career during her final year in the WNBA, serving as an assistant for Long Beach State University in 2003. Thanks to Mondays announcement, six of the WNBAs 12 head coaches are former players. According to our Database, She has no children. The hires didn't impact Phoenix's search. Pitman said he spent about 45 minutes on each call, all made from his office in the Footprint Center. The answer to that question will not be clear for at least the next couple of years. She signed another contract with the Comets prior to the 2005 season, but decided to announce her retirement instead. Nygaard was driving from her home in Ladera Heights, California, with her wife, Kristine, and their three children to see her parents in San Diego for Christmas when a text arrived from her agent. She was head coach at Windward for 10 seasons. Last season, Brondello had five players under the age of 25, including Walker and Alanna Smith. The search comes after the Mercury spoke with "I'm a big chemistry guy," he said while sitting in Kozar's office Friday. Her best season came in 2000 when she averaged 7.9 points and 3.8 rebounds for the expansion Fire. No portion of NBA.com may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form. She met with President Harry Trumanat the White House and former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and she was the guest of honor at a banquet held by the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. As she made her way through the arena, Nygaard reached the Mercury's locker room. She was selected by the New York Liberty in the fourth round (39th overall pick) of the 1998 WNBA Draft. This season, Charlotte earned a trip to the WNIT. She returned to the WNBA as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Silver Stars (2008) and helped guide the franchise to its only Finals appearance. Vanessa was born to her parents in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. It is incredibly gratifying to see a candidate pool deeper than any time in the history of our league, and we are grateful for the time spent with each of them., That process, and discussions with both internal and external members of the basketball community, ultimately led us to Vanessa Nygaard, who we are thrilled to name our head coach, and who we believe positions us for immediate and long-term success in Phoenix. It was one of the most stressful moments in the Mercury's coaching search, which lasted 44 days and included more than 20 candidates, hours of phone calls and meetings, and four in-person interviews -- and culminated with Monday's introduction of Vanessa Nygaard as the franchise's 10th head coach. Shes been inducted into nine different halls of Fame, including the National Track and Field Hall of Fame (1975) and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame (2004). No portion of NBA.com may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form. She literally started the liberation of women in sport. Kozar noticed Mercury fans getting antsy on Twitter, complaining that their head-coaching vacancy would be the last to be filled. One of Nygaard's first priorities as the Mercury's coach was to connect with all her players, most of whom are playing internationally. 5 Jin Young Ko, who will compete for the $1.8 million prize purse, with $270,000 going to the winner of the 72-hole, no cut event. But it was no easy route to the top of the Olympic podium for Coachman, who grew up in southwest Georgia the fifth of 10 children during an era of racial segregation. WebA standout player at Stanford University from 1994-95 through 1997-98, Nygaard played in three NCAA Final Fours with the Cardinal. Held in high regard as a teacher of the game due to her success at Windward, Nygaard is a part of USA Basketball coaching circles, serving as an assistant coach for both the 2017 FIBA Americas U16 Championships and the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup. Despite averaging nearly the same number of minutes and being a regular member of the starting lineup, she averaged just 9.5 ppg, compared to 12.2 in 2020. However, general manager Jim Pitman ultimately decided it was time to get a fresh voice in the locker room and let go of Brondello on Dec. 6. Nygaard, born in Scottsdale, Ariz., has nearly two decades of coaching experience at the high school, college, WNBA and international level, following a six-year playing career in the WNBA and standout run at Stanford. Copyright 2023 NBA Media Ventures, LLC | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved. In 2003, Nygaard became an assistant coach for the women's basketball team at California State University, Long Beach. The Mercury will be hosting a press conference with general manager Jim Pitman to announce Nygaard as the teams new head coach on Monday at 4:30 p.m. Nygaard has never been a head coach in the WNBA before. "I know that Jan. 15 is the start of free agency and you can start talking to free agents," he said. Pitman eventually tapped Vanessa Nygaard for the job, touting her extensive WNBA experience as both a player and a coach. She is currently serving as an assistant coach with the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at Stanford ''98. She had to leave her own celebration by a side door. Nygaard was originally drafted by the New York Liberty in the fourth round (No. In 1943, Coachman entered Tuskegees college division to study dressmaking while continuing to compete, graduating in 1946. He then drove each to the Mercury's new practice facility, located about 10 miles northwest of the arena. Nygaard will ultimately need buy-in from Griner if she is going to have success. After Vanessagraduated from Stanford, she started her six-year career in the WNBA. Given her experience with the Aces, there is no shortage of inspiration to help Nygaard achieve that. Her unforgettable season came with the Sol in 2002, when she averaged 7.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. You can't win with no chemistry even if you have great talent.". Find out more. ", Nygaard: 'Ready for challenge' as Mercury coach, WNBA mock draft: Villanova's Siegrist soars into lottery pick, Serena, Griner honored at NAACP Image Awards, Sparks officially re-sign forward N. Ogwumike, Griner on court in 1st open workout since release, WNBA draft set for N.Y., to have 'Orange Carpet', 2-time All-Star C. Ogwumike back with Sparks, Griner officially rejoins Mercury in 'special signing', Yang joins Sparks after FIBA silver with China, WNBA trade grades: Why Wings, Liberty earn top marks in Saturday's four-team trade. Wright earned WNBA All-Defensive Team honors on seven occasions during her career (First Team2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014; Second Team2015, 2016), and her 457 games played are the eighth most in league history. He told them all he was hoping to have a new coach hired by Jan. 15 but wasn't going to set it as a firm deadline. Heres the complete TV and streaming schedule: The same nine players in the Rolex Rankings Top 10 who played in Thailand will play in Singapore (includes finish at last weeks Honda LPGA Thailand): Of note, all of five major champions from 2022 are competing this week: Chevron champion Jennifer Kupcho(USA),KPMG Womens PGA champion Chun (South Korea), U.S. Womens Open champion Lee (Australia), Amundi Evian champion Henderson (Canada) and AIG Womens Open champion Ashleigh Buhai(South Africa). Earlier this year, when COVID-19 decimated the high school sports schedule in Southern California, the basketball season was pushed back to April, but Nygaard had already committed to being an assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces, her first WNBA coaching experience since she was an assistant with the San Antonio Silver Stars in 2008. The program has graduated star WNBA guard Jordin Canada (Seattle Storm), and Charisma Osborne, three-time LA Times Player of the Year and the current leading scorer at UCLA. Coachman passed away in 2014 at the age of 90. If she can successfully coach young talent into solid rotational pieces, the Mercury will have a much less drastic drop-off once Taurasi retires. Nygaard joked. She didn't tell the kids right away but shared the news with a few friends and mentors. These younger players struggled to see the floor in 2021. Feedback from those conversations helped rule out some candidates. When collegiate programs rejected her as a head coach, Vanessa Nygaard took an unconventional path at the high school level to become a head coach. Vanessa finished herhigh school in Carlsbad, California, she studied and graduated from Stanford University from 1993 to 1998, and was on their womens basketball team, known as The Cardinal as a star player. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. 6 LexiThompson, who told reporters she would be at home in Florida practicing. "I believe that chemistry is as important as talent and in some cases more so. 1 Lydia Ko and defending champion and No. It's been 24 years since the perpetually upbeat Nygaard played for the Cardinal, but VanDerveer has January 25, 2022 Inside Vanessa Nygaards path to shepherding the Phoenix Mercury By Alex Simon And hear from Jim Pitman about plans to complete the flock New Phoenix Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard holds up a Mercury jersey with general manager Jim Pitman at her introductory press conference on Monday. I was on my way to receive the medal and I saw my name on the board. In 2003, Nygaard became an assistant coach for the women's basketball team at California State University, Long Beach. And I knew immediately that first day that I arrived back into the coaching with professional athletes in Las Vegas last year, that that is where I was meant to be. While some of that is due to taking on a different role with the Mercury, her performance was pretty up-and-down throughout the season. Vanessa is just defending her feminist cause and siding with her player at the current moment. She is 47 years old. PHOENIX The three-time WNBA Champion Phoenix Mercury today named Vanessa Nygaard (NYE-guard) the 10th head coach in franchise history. Wright helped lead Seattle to nine straight playoff appearances, and was a member of the 2010 Storm team that won the WNBA Championship. She spent the 2012-13 offseason in Russia working with the Spartak V MR basketball team that employed WNBA players Becky Hammon, Seimone Augustus and Candice Dupree. She also spent one season with the Minnesota Lynx (2018). Last year at Sentosa Golf Club, then-world No. Phoenix went through an exhaustive coaching search, with rumored finalists including Natalie Nakase, Teresa Weatherspoon and Stephanie White. 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