Phoenix Mercury, head coach Sandy Brondello mutually agree to part ways
Dec 6, 2021, 4:32 PM | Updated: 5:15 pm
Head coach Sandy Brondello of the Phoenix Mercury looks on during the second half in Game Two of the 2021 WNBA Finals at Footprint Center on October 13, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury defeated the Sky 91-86 in overtime. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Phoenix Mercury and head coach Sandy Brondello have mutually agreed to part ways, the team announced Monday.
Hired as head coach in 2014, Brondello’s contract expired at the end of the 2021 season and will not be renewed.
“My first move after taking over as general manager in 2013 was to hire Sandy Brondello as our head coach, and the basketball success we’ve achieved in that time is a credit to her, her staff, our players and the culture she was part of building,” Mercury general manager Jim Pitman said in a statement.
Under the direction of Brondello, the Mercury won the 2014 WNBA Championship.
The team made another trip to the WNBA Finals in 2021, falling to the Chicago Sky in four games.
In eight seasons, the Mercury made the playoffs each year under Brondello. In her time in Phoenix, Brondello had a 150-108 record as head coach.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity and time that I have had with the Phoenix Mercury and would like to thank Robert Sarver and Jim Pitman, my staff and players who I have worked with throughout my time,” Brondello said in a statement.
After a 19-13 record and just two wins shy of a title in 2021, the Mercury now find themselves in need of a head coach.
“Our expectation is to compete for championships now and in the future, and the search to find the head coach who can help lead us there has already begun,” Pitman said.
