Lynne Roberts aiming to make Sparks ‘the premier market’ in WNBA
At her introductory press conference Lynne Roberts discussed her basketball philosophy and why she took on the challenge of coaching the Sparks.
LOS ANGELES — Inside Crypto.com Arena, just hours before the Lakers played the Orlando Magic, the Sparks took center stage.
Newly hired head coach Lynee Roberts was officially introduced alongside general manager Raegan Pebley with the likes of Cameron Brink, Dearica Hamby and Rae Burrell in attendance.
During her opening statement, Pebley discussed how extensive this search was and her enthusiasm in hiring Roberts.
“When [Sparks governor and managing partner] Eric [Holoman] and I set out to identify the pillars that we were looking for in the head coach, we were very clear,” Pebley said. “There were three main things. We wanted a smart basketball mind that saw the game in a forward-thinking way. We wanted somebody that was a developer, a developer of a program, a developer of people, a developer of skill and when I say develop, I mean more nurturer that means you have to be a great leader, so that was the third thing we were really looking for; was just an excellent leader.”
As a leader, Roberts has spent the last nine seasons as head coach of the Utah Utes. Her tenth season was underway but Roberts left after four games to take on this new position.
“I’ve been asked, ‘Why are you doing this?’ Why wouldn’t I do this? A chance to be in what I want to be the premier market in the WNBA,” Roberts said. “We’ve got the support. I trust Eric and the ownership group and what they’re saying, where they want our program to be, where they want this organization to go. This should be the best organization, program, team, in the WNBA.”
The Sparks have a long way to go to reach those peaks, as they currently sit in the valley. Los Angeles is coming off its worst winning percentage in franchise history and suffering its longest postseason drought, having missed the playoffs each of the last four seasons.
This search for a new coach involved Pebley and the Sparks talking to those who have worked with Roberts. Based on those accounts, the franchise found that she is a meticulous coach, a good leader, has a history of turning teams around and someone who dives deep into analytics.
When she took over at Utah, the team had missed the NCAA Tournament four years straight and had not been ranked since the 2007-08 season. She turned the program around, led the Utes to three consecutive NCAA Tournament berths and was named 2023 Pac-12 Coach of the Year.
Now, she’ll be asked to do a similar job in Los Angeles and while she acknowledges that she will need to adjust from college to the pros, she’s confident she can take on the challenge.
“Yes, there’s things I will learn just like I would have learned if I’d stayed at Utah,” Roberts said. “If I’m not learning, then I’m getting worse and this is a great opportunity for me to challenge myself as the coach. I’m humble in that, knowing that I will learn, but I’m also very confident in my ability to do it.”
Roberts and the Sparks will face many new challenges even before the season starts. They have an expansion draft for the Golden State Valkyries, a WNBA Draft with the No. 2 pick and free agency.
For now, they have established who their coach is and have begun the Lynn Roberts era. Making the playoffs and returning to championship glory is the goal.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think we had a really strong roster in place and the opportunity to bring in a couple of pieces where that’s realistic,” Roberts said. “Is it gonna be easy? No. Is it gonna be challenging? Absolutely. Is it possible? For sure. That’s the goal. That’s the goal every year, and, in LA and with this organization, that’s going to be our goal.”
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