Get to know Teresa Weatherspoon, Phil Handy, and the other 4 Unrivaled coaches

January 10, 2025

The new 3-on-3 women's professional basketball league, Unrivaled, opens next Friday, January 17th in Miami. 36 of the world's best players will participate WNBA Nafeesa Collier and Brianna Stewart (two of the league's co-founders), Sabrina Ionescu, Carlea Copper, Brittney Greiner, and others will be in attendance.

But while the league, which has already amassed an impressive list of investors, certainly wants to make a profit, the message was clear from the jump that player development and player satisfaction are the ultimate goals.

Unrivaled President Alex Buzzell has a background in player development having worked as a skills trainer for players in both the WNBA and NBA.

“Our top priority is that our athletes enjoy the experience,” Buzzell said. “Because if they enjoy this experience and want to continue working hard or see this as a long-term opportunity, that's what we believe right now. We won. It is.”

As such, Unrivaled has appointed Adam Harrington (Phantom), Andrew Wade (Races), DJ Sackman (Lunar Owls), Nora Henry (Rose) and Phil Handy (Mist) to each of the six clubs. We hired a coach with a strong player development background. Teresa Weatherspoon (Record).

Here's what you need to know about each of the six coaches and the aspects of player development that are core to their skill sets.

adam harringtonPhantoms head coach

phantom: Sato Sabally (Wings), Marina Mabry (Sun), Brittney Greiner (Mercury), Natasha Cloud (Mercury), Katie Lou Samuelson (Fever), Sabrina Ionescu (Liberty)

More than a decade ago, basketball trainer Adam Harrington began a long-term relationship with Kevin Durant. Durant was in the midst of an MVP season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Harrington was one of the team's player development coaches.

The two hit it off right away.

Harrington, a former NBA player, began working closely with Durant in 2013, beyond his responsibilities as one of the Thunder's player development personnel. Durant wants to emulate some of his workouts after Nowitzki, and Harrington, who shared the floor with Dirk Nowitzki during his playing days, provided an introduction.

The player-coach duo continued to work closely together in Brooklyn when Durant joined the Nets in 2019 after three seasons in Golden State. Harrington has already been an assistant with the Nets since 2016, and the Brooklyn connection was a draw for Durant, who became a free agent.

Now, Harrington has pivoted his career to become the head coach of an unrivaled basketball team.

andrew wadehead coach of the Raices

Shoe laces: Jackie Young (Ace), Tiffany Hayes (Ace), Kayla McBride (Lynx), Alyssa Thomas (Sun), Kate Martin (Valkyries), Stephanie Dolson (Mystics).

Just a few years ago, Andrew Wade was a sports blogger.

In 2018 he Article published discuss the advantages and disadvantages of washington wizards Trade Bradley Beal. In 2019 he dive His favorite NBA team's 3-point shot.

Wade, a senior, loves basketball and after playing three years of college basketball at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., he wanted to immerse himself in the sport as much as possible.

Now, the longtime basketball enthusiast will have the opportunity to coach some of the best women's basketball players in the world, including perennial MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas and four-time All-Star Kayla McBride. Masu.

“I’m excited to be in the head seat for the first time,” he said. “I’m excited to take on that challenge and pressure.”

DJ Sackmanhead coach of the Lunar Owls

Moon owl: Napheesa Collier (Lynx), Courtney Williams (Lynx), Skyler Diggins-Smith (Storm), Alisha Gray (Dream), shakira austin (Mystics), Cameron Brink (Sparks, playing only from 2026).

DJ Sackman is a world-renowned NBA skills coach with millions of social media followers and extensive experience working with stars. In 2018 he founded hoop studyone of the world's largest online basketball education companies, has hosted basketball training events in countries around the world.

He will now be one of six head coaches. unparalleledA new 3-on-3 women's professional basketball league begins in Miami in January.

“I've always been a fan of this person.” WNBA'' Sackman said. “So I was very excited when I got the call. I got to work with you even in the offseason. [WNBA] I was able to interact with the players and understand the development side of things. When I received this, I saw it as an opportunity to learn from some of the best women in the world on the development side and help them grow and work on their games throughout the offseason. ”

Unrivaled's other head coaches have extensive experience working with real teams and WNBA arenas. However, Sackman's ability to develop players is highly praised.

“He's probably the best at explaining what he's teaching,” said Adam Harrington, Unrivaled's other head coach. “He's such a great speaker and teacher.”

Nora HenryRose's head coach

rose: Chelsea Gray (Ace), Carlea Copper (Mercury), Angel Reese (Sky), Britney Sykes (Mystics), Lexi Hull (Fever), Azura Stevens (spark)

Internships are not usually Moved to head coaching position.

But 2020 Connecticut Sun intern Nora Henry worked tirelessly to make it happen. Now, just four years later, the 29-year-old former university student may have made her big break.

“I am very excited and grateful for the opportunity to coach so many great players,” Henry told reporters during his media introduction. “I’m looking forward to the strategy and planning, but I’m also looking forward to building relationships with the players and getting to know them and having the challenge of doing the X’s and O’s and going from there.”

Henry is a hooper in her own right. The 5-foot-7 guard played basketball at Amherst College in Massachusetts and then finished his playing career at the College of Charleston. In 2018, she joined the coaching staff at Farleigh Dickinson University as a graduate assistant.

However, most of Henry's coaching experience comes from his tenure at the Connecticut Sun. She spent nearly five years in Uncasville, working under then-head coach Curt Miller, assisting with player development, video coordinator and team operations.

When Miller left Connecticut to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks in 2022, Henry went with him. There she became one of Miller's chief assistants.

“My beginnings were pretty humble,” Henry said. “I started as an intern at Connecticut State and Kurt was very supportive and did a great job. Whether I competed or not, I had the opportunity to be in that room and participate in high-level conversations. All of these experiences prepared me for this opportunity.”

phil handyMist head coach

mist: Jewel Lloyd (Storm), Dijonai Carrington (Sun), Brianna Stewart (Liberty), Courtney Vandersloot (Liberty), Rikea Jackson (Sparks), Aaliyah Edwards (Mystics)

Playing in six consecutive NBA Finals from 2015 to 2021, Phil Handy was a fixture on the sideline. Handy, a longtime NBA assistant who previously played professional basketball overseas, has gotten him through it all.

First, he served as an assistant cleveland cavaliers It won everything in 2016. Then he toronto raptors When he won the title in 2019, and since then. lakers He played for five seasons, including the 2020 championship. Throughout his tenure, he was a three-time NBA champion, worked closely with stars such as LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Anthony Davis, and earned his place as one of the league's most highly regarded assistant coaches. Established.

Now, in a major turning point, the 53-year-old will be joining them. unparalleled -And this will be your first time as a head coach.

Handy's NBA coaching career began in a player development position in the NBA. lakers He exited the league in 2011, but decided to take a year off from the world's most competitive basketball league, ending in 2024.

After making that decision, he was approached about a potential coaching opportunity by Unrivaled president Alex Buzzell, who he had known for years.

“I've been involved in women's basketball for a long time,” Handy said. “But once me and my team had the opportunity to really dive into Unrivaled and really pull back the layers of what they were trying to accomplish, we were really fascinated by the whole concept.”

As it happens, Handy has considerable experience with some of the Mist Club's upcoming players. While serving as an assistant coach with the Lakers, he did consulting work with the Storm and had the coaching opportunity to work directly with Brianna Stewart and Jewell Lloyd, who were in Seattle at the time.

This will be Handy's first time as the head coach of a professional basketball team, after having been the head coach of the Lakers twice.

Teresa Weatherspoonvinyl head coach

vinyl: Arike Ogunbowale (Wings), Ryne Howard (Dream), Aliyah Boston (Fever), Jordan Canada (Dream), Ray Burrell (Sparks), Dearika Hamby (Sparks)

Weatherspoon, who was abruptly fired by the Chicago Sky this offseason, will become the head coach in a new 3-on-3 basketball professional league. Her involvement in Unrivaled does not preclude any of her activities. WNBA This position is seasonal, so he will continue to play the role next season.

But that means she will become the first coach of the historic basketball league.

Buzzell told SB Nation the decision to hire Weatherspoon as one of six coaches was a no-brainer.

“She has experience as a head coach in the WNBA,” Buzzell said. “She's well-respected. She's a former player, a legend in her own right, and she understands player development.”

Weatherspoon has extensive experience as both a player and a coach. She led Louisiana Tech to the NCAA national title in 1998 and then played eight seasons professionally overseas, including in Italy, France and Russia. She was one of the first players in the WNBA, starting in 1997 and spending her first seven seasons with the New York Liberty and then one season with the Los Angeles Sparks. Weatherspoon is a five-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Defensive Player of the Year. top 20 players In WNBA history in 2016.

Shortly after retiring from the league in 2004, she entered the coaching world, becoming the head coach at Louisiana Tech University in 2009. She joined the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019 as a player development coach, working closely with Pelicans star Zion Williamson and rising through the ranks. to Pelicans assistant coach role 3 seasons before being let go.

She became the Sky's head coach in 2023, leading the rebuilding team to a 13-17 record and developing a close relationship with star rookie Angel Reese.

Weatherspoon was a natural fit for the Unrivaled coaching role due to his extensive NBA player development background, experience as a player, and strength in relationship building.

“When I sat down with her, it was easy to have a conversation because she understands it. She understands more than anyone how powerful this is for the players,” Buzzell said. spoke. “So we wanted someone who could empathize with the athletes and help them improve and also help them develop their mindset. Honestly, she was a no-brainer for us.”

This article is published by SB Nation.WNBA explanation” series is a weekly column that takes a deep dive into a variety of topics related to women's basketball. You can read last week's column about WNBA officiating here.