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Sandy Brondello

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Sandra Anne Brondello (born 20 August 1968) is an Australian women's basketball coach, and the current head coach of the New York Liberty of the WNBA, as well as the Australian Women's national team. Brondello played in Australia, Germany and the WNBA before retiring to become a coach. The 5’7” (1.70 m) Brondello is one of Australia's all-time best shooting guards. She played on Australia's "Opals" national team at four Summer Olympics, has coached the team at two more, and won three medals (one bronze, two silvers) as a player and one bronze medal as a coach. She attended the Australian Institute of Sport in 1986–1987,[1] and was inducted to the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.[2]

Sandy Brondello
Brondello in 2019
New York Liberty
PositionHead Coach
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (1968-08-20) 20 August 1968 (age 56)
Mackay, Queensland, Australia
Listed height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Listed weight136 lb (62 kg)
Career information
WNBA draft1998: 4th round, 34th overall pick
Selected by the Detroit Shock
Playing career1992–2004
PositionShooting guard
Number6
Coaching career2005–present
Career history
As player:
1998–1999Detroit Shock
2001–2002Miami Sol
2003Seattle Storm
As coach:
2005–2009San Antonio Silver Stars (assistant)
2010San Antonio Silver Stars
2011–2013Los Angeles Sparks (assistant)
2014–2021Phoenix Mercury
2017–presentAustralia
2022–presentNew York Liberty
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As coach:

Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing  Australia
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta Team
Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney Team
Silver medal – second place 2004 Athens Team
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Germany
Bronze medal – third place 2002 China
Head coach for  Australia
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris Team
World Cup
Silver medal – second place 2018 Spain Team
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Australia Team

Playing career

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Brondello grew up in Mackay, Queensland, where her parents had a sugar cane farm. At the age of 9, she started to play basketball in a grass court her father built in the backyard[3][4] Brondello's career began in Australia's Women's National Basketball League, where she was named the Australian Basketball Player of the Year in 1992. Brondello played for 10 seasons in the WNBL, reaching the playoffs on three occasions and being named Most Valuable Player in 1995 as a member of the Brisbane Blazers. She also played between 1992 and 2002 in Germany for BTV Wuppertal, winning ten national championships and the 1995–96 FIBA Women's European Champions Cup.[2]

Brondello started her WNBA career in 1998 by being selected in the fourth round (34th overall) by the newly formed Detroit Shock, becoming an All-Star in the first WNBA All-Star Game in 1999. She was selected by the Indiana Fever in late 1999's expansion draft, but never played a game for them, being traded to the Miami Sol along with a first-round pick for Stephanie McCarty. After sitting out of the 2002 season due to a foot injury playing for Wuppertal during the WNBA offseason,[5] Brondello signed as a free agent with the Seattle Storm in 2003, joining fellow Australians Lauren Jackson and Tully Bevilaqua. Brondello was one of the top three-point shooters in league history, her .410 percentage ranking fourth all-time.[6]

On the Australian National Team, Brondello joined the team before the age of 18 and remained on the Opals for 17 years,[4] and her 302 games made Brondello the third most capped Australian player, behind Robyn Maher and Karen Dalton. Brondello's tournaments with Australia include four World Championships, with two bronze medals, and four Olympic tournaments, with two silver medals and a bronze.[2] Twice she sat out of the WNBA due to Olympic commitments, in 2000 and 2004.[3][7] The 2004 tournament in Athens turned out to be Brondello's last major event, with her afterwards investing in a coaching career.[4]

Coaching career

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WNBA

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In 2005, Brondello was named an assistant coach of the San Antonio Silver Stars. She was promoted to head coach in February 2010.[8]

In 2009 Brondello was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame.[9]

Brondello and her husband, associate head coach Olaf Lange, were fired by the Silver Stars in September 2010. Brondello finished her only season as head coach with a 14–20 record, third best in the Western Conference. They were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Phoenix two games to none. General manager Dan Hughes regained the title of head coach in January 2011, returning to the dual role he held before promoting Brondello.[10][11] Brondello would become an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Sparks for the 2011 season.

In November 2013, Brondello was hired by the Phoenix Mercury to replace interim coach Russ Pennell.[12] In her inaugural season, Brondello led the Mercury – which featured a former Opals teammate, Penny Taylor – to the league's top record and highest single-season win total in WNBA history, with 29 wins and 5 losses, earning her a Coach of the Year Award.[13] The Mercury eventually won the 2014 WNBA Finals by sweeping the Chicago Sky.[14]

In April 2017, Brondello was appointed head coach of the Australian women's basketball team, the Opals. She combines this role with her WNBA coaching duties.[15]

On 6 December 2021, the Phoenix Mercury announced that the team and head coach Sandy Brondello had mutually agreed to part ways and that her contract, which expired after the 2021 season, would not be renewed.[16]

On 7 January 2022, Brondello was officially named the head coach of New York Liberty.[17]

Head coaching record

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Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
SAS 2010 34 14 20 .412 3rd in West 2 0 2 .000 Lost in Western Conference Semi-Finals
PHO 2014 34 29 5 .853 1st in West 8 7 1 .875 Won WNBA Finals
PHO 2015 34 20 14 .588 2nd in West 4 2 2 .500 Lost in Western Conference Finals
PHO 2016 34 16 18 .457 4th in West 5 2 3 .400 Lost in WNBA Semi-Finals
PHO 2017 34 18 16 .529 4th in West 5 2 3 .400 Lost in WNBA Semi-Finals
PHO 2018 34 20 14 .588 2nd in West 7 4 3 .571 Lost in WNBA Semi-Finals
PHO 2019 34 15 19 .441 5th in West 1 0 1 .000 Lost in 1st Round
PHO 2020 22 13 9 .591 5th in West 2 1 1 .500 Lost in 2nd Round
PHO 2021 32 19 13 .594 4th in West 11 6 5 .545 Lost in WNBA Finals
NYL 2022 36 16 20 .444 4th in East 3 1 2 .333 Lost in 1st Round
NYL 2023 40 32 8 .800 1st in East 10 6 4 .600 Lost in WNBA Finals
NYL 2024 40 32 8 .800 1st in East 11 8 3 .727 Won WNBA Finals
Career 406 242 164 .596 70 39 30 .557
Sandy Brondello coaching for the NY Liberty in August, 2024. She stands along the courtside, where the advertising behind her reads "The Ball is in Your Court." Liberty Mascot Ellie the Elephant is draped over the stands in the crod behind her 
Sandy Brondello coaching for the NY Liberty in August, 2024. Ellie the Elephant looks on.

Australian National Team

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Brondello became the coach of the Australian Women's national team, the Opals in 2017.

At the 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup held in Tenerife in Spain, the Australian team were runner-up beaten by the US 73-56 in the final.[18]

In 2021 she coached the team at the delayed Tokyo Olympics. The team was knocked out in the quarter finals by the US.[19]

The 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup was hosted by Australia, and played in Sydney. Australia came third in the tournament, being knocked out by China in the semi final, and winning the third place playoff against Canada.[20]

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Australian team won the bronze medal, the team's first Olympic medal since a bronze in 2012. They were beaten by the US in a semi final, and won the third place playoff against Belgium.[21]

Personal life

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Brondello is married to Olaf Lange, who is also a basketball coach and an assistant for the Liberty.[22] They have 2 children, Brody and Jayda.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Excellence : the Australian Institute of Sport. Canberra: Australian Sports Commission. 2002. ISBN 174013060X.
  2. ^ a b c "2010 Hall of Fame: Sandy Brondello". Archived from the original on 10 August 2014.
  3. ^ a b Robb, Sharon (31 May 2001). "International Flavor". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Fader, Mirin. "Sandy Brondello Loved Playing for Australia". WNBA.com. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  5. ^ Kelly, Omar (3 May 2002). "Brondello Takes It Easy on Bruised Foot". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  6. ^ "Sandy Brondello Bio". WNBA. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  7. ^ Dixon, Oscar (20 July 2004). "Faced with a choice, Olympians skip WNBA". USA Today. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  8. ^ "WNBA.com: COACHES Sandy Brondello". Archived from the original on 4 August 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  9. ^ "Ms Sandy Brondello". Queensland Sport Hall of Fame. qsport.org.au. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  10. ^ Smith, Michelle (28 September 2010). "Silver Stars Fire Sandy Brondello, Husband After Playoff Exit". NBA FanHouse. Archived from the original on 29 September 2010.
  11. ^ "Silver Stars GM Hughes resumes dual role as coach". USA Today. 29 January 2011. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012.
  12. ^ "Mercury Names Sandy Brondello Head Coach". WNBA - Phoenix Mercury. 15 November 2013. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013.
  13. ^ "Mercury Coach Sandy Brondello Named WNBA Coach of the Year After Guiding Phoenix to League's Best Record". WNBA.com. 22 August 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
  14. ^ "BEST TEAM EVER?". WNBA.COM. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  15. ^ Ward, Roy (18 April 2017). "Sandy Brondello named Australian Opals coach on road to 2020 Tokyo Olympics". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  16. ^ "Mercury Coaching Announcement". Phoenix Mercury. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  17. ^ Magliocchetti, Geoff (31 December 2021). "New York Liberty to hire Sandy Brondello as new head coach (Report)". Empire Sports Media. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  18. ^ Amanda Lulham (1 October 2018). "Team USA too good for Opals in Women's Basketball World Cup decider". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  19. ^ Steve Butler (4 August 2021). "Tokyo Olympics: Opals go down to USA to end their gold medal hopes in the quarter finals". The West Australian. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  20. ^ "Lauren Jackson ends Opals career on a high as Australia claims FIBA World Cup bronze, USA defends title". ABC. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  21. ^ Ben Sutton (12 August 2024). "Australian basketball legend Lauren Jackson wins fifth Olympic medal as Opals clinch bronze". 7news. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  22. ^ "Married WNBA coaches living separately in bubble". ESPN. 20 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
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