An early peek at retooled teams is a sport all its own for WNBA fans waiting several months to watch their favorite teams again. But no preseason games were broadcast ahead of the 2021 season, leaving impressions to be formed from clips, interviews and box scores. Tamryn Spruill launches her Tam’s Take column with insights into every team in the runup to the start of the league’s 25th anniversary season.
For all that was strange and unprecedented about the 2020 WNBA season in a bubble, one thing was standard: The team with the fewest questions won the championship. The Seattle Storm had all the pieces, led by WNBA Finals MVP Breanna Stewart.
Even if coach Dan Hughes couldn t be in Bradenton, Florida, for health reasons, he contributed as much as possible from afar, and assistant Gary Kloppenburg filled in well for him. The Storm tied the Las Vegas Aces for most regular-season wins, then swept the Minnesota Lynx and the Aces for the franchise s fourth title.
After winning the 2018 and 2020 championships with a similar core group, Seattle now faces change starters Natasha Howard and Alysha Clark are gone brought on by trades and free agency. The 2021 Storm have some uncertainties, but so do most of the WNBA s teams.
WNBA Rumors: Dream Stunned By Coach s Exit Before 2021 Opener; Rebuilding Seen As Reason
KEY POINTS
Collen was the 2018 WNBA Coach of the Year
The development comes months after the Dream s new ownership took charge
With 10 days left before the start of the 2021 WNBA regular season, the Atlanta Dream were shocked by the news that head coach Nicki Collen is leaving for women s college basketball team Baylor.
Baylor had already announced the signing officially on Monday. Collen will replace 21-year Lady Bears Hall of Fame mentor Kim Mullkey, who is headed to LSU.
The 2018 WNBA Coach of the Year will inherit a successful basketball program that has translated to three national championships, 17 consecutive NCAA tournaments appearances, and 11 straight Pac 12 titles.
Petersen surprised to land new role as Dream interim coach Follow Us
Question of the Day
ATLANTA (AP) - Mike Petersen’s day planner for Monday was missing an important detail.
“At no point on yesterday’s date was written in ‘become an interim coach of the Atlanta Dream,’” Petersen said Tuesday.
Indeed, with the Dream’s May 14 opening game against Connecticut less than two weeks away, no one suspected coach Nicki Collen was about to be named Baylor’s coach. Peterson said he and Collen’s other assistant, Darius Taylor, were as surprised as anyone to learn Collen was leaving.
Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images
Since the conclusion of the 2020 WNBA season, the Atlanta Dream have undergone big changes.
Most importantly, they have new owners, with former Dream player Renee Montgomery joining an ownership group with Larry Gottesdiener and Suzanne Abair. Continuing the overhaul, the organization added Brooklyn Cartwright as Director of Basketball Operations and parted ways with President and General Manager Chris Sienko.
On the court, the Dream also will look different.
While Dream lifer Tiffany Hayes is returning after opting out of the 2020 season, she’ll only find two familiar faces Elizabeth Williams and Monique Billings. Hayes has yet to take the court with the new faces that Atlanta added last offseason Chennedy Carter, Courtney Williams, Shekinna Stricklen and Kalani Brown.