The New York Liberty are moving on from head coach Chris DeMarco, who spent just one season in the role. He was hired last year after 14 seasons as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors. The decision makes him the second straight Liberty coach to leave after one season: Sandy Brondello was dismissed last offseason and later became the first coach of the Toronto Tempo.
New York finished 26-18 under DeMarco and entered the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. After upsetting the Minnesota Lynx in the first round, the Liberty were swept by the Atlanta Dream in the semifinals.
The season got off to a difficult start, with the team going 13-12 and several key players missing time. Offseason signing Satou Sabally appeared in only 13 games, while Sabrina Ionescu and Leonie Fiebich were also sidelined for significant stretches.
The first-round upset offered a bright spot, but it wasn’t enough to make DeMarco’s debut season feel like a success. The campaign ended on a particularly uncomfortable note: DeMarco and his staff were criticized for not calling a needed timeout late in Game 3 of the semifinals.
After the loss, Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Ionescu were asked about DeMarco’s future. None offered a clear endorsement.
“I mean, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Ionescu said. “Regardless, thankful for him coaching us this year and obviously giving us a chance. And we just fell short.”
“That’s not our say,” Jones said. “Our job is to go out there and play good basketball and represent the organization well, represent the fan base well, and our families. And I think we do a good job of focusing on that. And it is what it is.”
Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb will now lead the team’s second straight offseason search for a head coach. The Los Angeles Sparks are also looking for a new coach after firing Lynne Roberts.
