6:55 PM
The Phoenix Mercury will not be renewing the contract of coach Sandy Brondello, who led the team to the finals this past season.
Her deal ended after the 2020 season.
The Mercury won their third title in the year that Brondello took charge. She made the playoffs every year in eight seasons with Phoenix. The Mercury went 19-13 in the regular season but lost to Chicago in the finals.
An assistant for Chicago is the husband of a woman.
Jim Pitman, Mercury general manager, said in a statement that he was grateful for her partnership and friendship. Sandy and her family will always be a part of the X-Factor family, and we wish them the best.
An eight-year tenure for a head coach is an exception in any professional sport, and we are confident that a new voice is needed for our team at this time. The search to find a head coach who can help lead us there has already begun, as our expectation is to compete for championships now and in the future.
Thank you, Sandy, on behalf of the entire X-Factor.
>
December 6, 2021.
The Mercury had two former No. 1 draft picks in center Brittney Griner and guard Diana Taurasi. The 39-year-old just completed her 17th season in the league.
The Australian national team, the Opals, lost in the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Olympics. The next big event is the Women's Basketball World Cup. There will be one in Australia next year.
The Australian national team had a player named Brondello who played for the WNBA. She won a bronze medal in 1996 and a silver medal in 2000 for the Australian team.
She was an assistant in San Antonio from 2005 to 2009, and then the head coach of the Stars in 2010. She was an assistant in Los Angeles for a while before taking over the Mercury.
"I am very grateful for the opportunity and time that I have had with the Phoenix Mercury, and I would like to thank my staff and players who I have worked with throughout my time there," he said. Thank you to the X-Factor for making the atmosphere at our games so special.
The second head coach opening in the league was created by the announcement about Brondello. The city of New York parted ways with its head coach after two seasons.
