Latest news with #Brondello
GMA Network
4 days ago
- Sport
- GMA Network
Caitlin Clark to coach, not compete, vs. Team Collier at WNBA All-Star Game
The WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis will not be at Fever pitch. Not with Indiana's Caitlin Clark wearing street clothes instead of a basketball uniform and shoes. Team Clark and Team Collier will do battle on Saturday night, but the All-Star Game lost some luster when Clark was forced to pull out of the contest due to a right groin injury. Team Clark coach Sandy Brondello said the face of the WNBA will be involved from the sideline during Saturday's game. "She's gonna still have a great impact on this team," Brondello said of Clark during Friday's press conference. "I will give the coaching hat to her as much as she wants, to be quite honest. "We're gonna play around with it a little bit, it'll be fun. I think you've seen it with the Fever, she's been very active on the sideline when she wasn't playing so we'll utilize that as well." Clark was injured late in Tuesday's victory over the Connecticut Sun. She missed Wednesday's loss to the New York Liberty and announced Thursday that she was pulling out of Friday's 3-point shooting contest and Saturday's All-Star Game. "I am incredibly sad and disappointed to say I can't participate in the 3-Point Contest or the All-Star Game," Clark said in a statement. "I have to rest my body. I will still be at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for all the action and I'm looking forward to helping Sandy (Brondello) coach our team to a win." Team Clark could be facing the loss of another star as three-time MVP A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces is nursing a wrist injury and said Friday that it's "to be determined" whether or not she plays. Team Collier is named after Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, the league's scoring leader at 23.2 points per game. Clark's chief rival, Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky, is on Team Collier. She is the rebounding leader at 12.6 per game. The second-year pro has stepped up her game this season. "Year 2, everybody knows your game," Reese said. "If you don't get better in the offseason, it will show." Reese and Clark have brought more attention to the WNBA, though there have been many bumps in the road. The league hasn't always appeared ready for the extra scrutiny. Veteran coach Cheryl Reeve, who is coaching Team Collier, said there is a reason for why the rise in popularity hasn't gone smooth. "I think the larger picture of the NBA and our franchises that are affiliated with NBA teams, there has been this long sort of undertone that the WNBA is nice but it will never become mainstream," Reeve, in her 16th year as Lynx coach, said during Friday's news conference. "I was told that 10 years ago. I think that undertone put us in position that when it was time to capitalize, we missed some things." There are six first-time All-Stars among the participants, including star rookie Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings. "I'm very thankful to be here," Bueckers said. "It's just a crazy experience just living out my childhood dream." Fellow rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen of the Washington Mystics are among the other first-timers. Another Washington player, Brittney Sykes, is making her first appearance as are Kayla Thornton of the Golden State Valkyries and Gabby Williams of the Seattle Storm. In addition to Clark, Satou Sabally (ankle) of the Phoenix Mercury and Rhyne Howard (knee) of the Atlanta Dream also pulled out of the game. Kayla McBride of the Minnesota Lynx was tabbed to replace Howard. Sykes and Atlanta's Brionna Jones were added on Thursday to replace Clark and Sabally. The latter withdrew on Wednesday. --Field Level Media/Reuters
Fox News
5 days ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Liberty coach Sandy Brondello eager to work with Caitlin Clark as injury threatens All-Star appearance
NEW YORK – New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello is looking forward to the opportunity of coaching Caitlin Clark in the WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday, but the Indiana Fever star's latest injury could threaten that. Speaking to the media before Wednesday night's dominant win over the Fever, Brondello lamented that Clark was ruled out of the game after she suffered a groin injury during Indiana's game on Tuesday. "You never want to see a player get injured... She's a great player. It would have been good for our crowd to see her, but hopefully they get to see it after post All-Star – you get to play them again," Brondello said of Tuesday's matchup between the Liberty and Fever. "As for the All-Star, I'm excited to get to know her a little bit. I think that's the part of the All-Star, is going to coach players that you haven't coached before and get to know them a little bit and enjoy the whole celebration." Clark, who won the fan vote, was paired up with the coach with the best record – Brondello. She was named a captain in her second All-Star appearance and was also set to compete in her first 3-point contest. But another injury has put all that in jeopardy. Fever head coach Stephanie White said there have been "no discussions" with regards to the All-Star weekend. "No discussion yet about this weekend," White told reporters before Wednesday's game. "There was imaging done and obviously, we're ruling her out for tonight, but there hasn't been any discussion beyond tonight." Clark is dealing with her second groin injury of the year. White said she does not believe that Clark's latest injury is the same as her previous one. Clark also missed five games early in the season because of a quad injury. "I'm not really sure that it's a re-injury as much as a different kind of injury. I know oftentimes when you're working with injuries in the groin and the quad and the hamstring and all of those things, there's just – they're all kind of tied together and it's not always just one thing." The Fever will host the All-Star weekend beginning on Friday. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liberty center Jonquel Jones' injury return timeline receives new update
The post Liberty center Jonquel Jones' injury return timeline receives new update appeared first on ClutchPoints. After beginning the year atop the league at 9-0, the New York Liberty have gone just 3-5 in their last eight games while enduring two significant absences. Following Leonie Fiebich's return to the lineup, Sandy Brondello offered yet another update on star center Jonquel Jones' injury return timeline. Advertisement With Jones still dealing with an ankle injury, Brondello does not see her returning anytime soon. Brondello does not expect the reigning Finals MVP to return before the July 17 All-Star break but still sees it as a 'win' if she takes the court before August. 'If we can get her back after [the] All-Star break, that's still a win, isn't it?' Brondello told the New York Post's Madeline Kenney. 'Because it was supposed to be in August.' Jones has not played since re-aggravating her injury against the Phoenix Mercury on June 19. The Liberty have gone just 2-3 in their five games since then and have periodically struggled on both ends of the court. While Jones remains on the shelf, the Liberty got Fiebich back from her month-long absence due to her EuroBasket participation. As the team's best shooter and top perimeter defender, her return was instrumental in New York's 89-79 win over the Los Angeles Sparks to snap a two-game skid. Advertisement Liberty struggling without Jonquel Jones Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Without Jones and Fiebich, the Liberty looked far from a championship-level team in June. Fiebich's return helped them, but Jones is still arguably the team's most important offensive player. Even with Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu still in the rotation, the 2021 WNBA MVP is still irreplaceable. Jones is averaging 12.6 points, 2.3 assists and a team-high 9.6 rebounds per game in her nine outings on the year. Jones is also posting 1.6 three-pointers per game on a 43.8-percent clip, her best since the 2018 season. Without Jones in the lineup, the Liberty have turned to Nyara Sabally in the starting lineup. The third-year center is averaging 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in a career-high 18.9 minutes per game. New York lacks frontcourt depth behind Sabally, forcing Isabelle Harrison and Kennedy Burke to absorb reserve minutes. Related: Natasha Cloud makes All-Star statement in Liberty win
New York Post
06-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Liberty will look far different this time around for rematch with Storm
We've got you covered on the Liberty beat Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Madeline Kenney about all things Liberty and WNBA. tRY IT NOW The Liberty team that will take the floor Sunday against the Storm is not the same team that lost in Seattle last month. At the time, the Liberty were down three starters, including Sabrina Ionescu, who was a late scratch because of a neck issue. Advertisement With only nine active players, the Liberty had to mix and match lineup combinations. They registered a season-high 21 turnovers and missed several layups. But the Liberty managed to hang around the Storm for most of the game. 'What we have to take away from that Seattle game is that we were actually still very much within the game with losing three starters. We dropped the ball at the end,' forward Isabelle Harrison said Saturday. 'Obviously, Seattle is still a very good team. But we know how we can play.' Sabrina Ionescu missed the Liberty's first game against the Storm. Getty Images Advertisement The way coach Sandy Brondello sees it, the Storm didn't change over the two weeks. But the Liberty have. For starters, Leonie Fiebich is back from EuroBasket, and the kink in Ionescu's neck has been resolved. With the Liberty near full strength, execution will be key Sunday. They needs to shore up their pick-and-roll defense and prevent Nneka Ogwumike from getting into rhythm. They also must take better care of the ball. Advertisement Leonie Fiebich us back from EuroBasket. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Breanna Stewart said the Liberty also need to simplify their offense at times. 'We put ourselves in way too many step-up situations, knowing that they're trapping a lot and having a better outlet for those that are in traps and not overcomplicating it,' Stewart said. 'Similar to the last game against the Sparks, it's like taking what the defense gives us, not overcomplicating it.' Advertisement Jonquel Jones is getting 'better and better everyday,' but Brondello doesn't anticipate Jones to be back before the All-Star break, which is July 18-19. Jones has been on the mend over the past two-plus weeks since she aggravated a right ankle sprain. The Liberty initially announced June 21 that Jones would be out for approximately four to six weeks. But as Jones progresses, Brondello believes the reigning WNBA Finals MVP should be ready toward the earlier side of the team's initial projection. 'We still want [to look at the] big picture. Trying to get her build up,' Brondello said. 'So if we can get her back after All-Star break, that's still a win, isn't it? Because it was supposed to be in August.' Brondello didn't think there was a chance she would be coaching at the All-Star Game this season. The Liberty were third in the standings entering Thursday, and the second-place Mercury were playing the Wings. Advertisement After New York beat the Sparks, Brondello and the rest of her team were surprised to find out that the Mercury lost to the Wings. 'We weren't really planning on it,' Ionescu said. 'After the game, I was like, 'Oh my gosh. Sandy's coaching. Pack your bags, you're going to Indy.'' This will be Brondello's third time as head coach for the All-Star Game and first since 2018.
New York Post
24-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Liberty's Rebekah Gardner earned more minutes with successful starting lineup promotion
We've got you covered on the Liberty beat Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Madeline Kenney about all things Liberty and WNBA. tRY IT NOW SAN FRANCISCO — Sandy Brondello had decided to promote Rebekah Gardner to the starting lineup for Sunday's game even before Sabrina Ionescu woke up that morning with a kink in her neck. The hope was Gardner could help the team set the right tone from the jump since Leonie Fiebich is still at EuroBasket. Advertisement 'We just thought she could bring some really good energy for us,' Brondello said after the 89-79 loss. 'Her ability to get out front in transition. She could shoot the 3. I thought she cut very well for us and that's why she got the start.' Despite the unfavorable outcome, Gardner did a little bit of everything for the Liberty against the Storm. Gardner had a season-high 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. She also had two rebounds a blocked shot. Rebekah Gardner dribbles during the Liberty-Storm game on June 22, 2025. Getty Images Advertisement Gardner doesn't have the physical gifts that help make Fiebich an elite wing defender. But Gardner plays with a lot of effort, and Brondello was overall pleased with her performance. 'She had some really good minutes for us and something that we can build on,' Brondello said. 'As we move forward, we've been trying to build her up. She went out there and earned more minutes.' With Fiebich and Jonquel Jones (right sprained ankle) unavailable, the Liberty have been forced to run different lineup combinations that are outside their regular units. Advertisement Gardner, Marine Johannès, Kennedy Burke and Nyara Sabally are the four players who are being presented with opportunities for larger roles for the foreseeable future. The Liberty had prepared for Sabally and Fiebich to go overseas for EuroBasket, though Sabally pulled out at the last minute because of a knee issue. Sabally staying was a huge lift for the Liberty, especially now with Jones sidelined for at least a month. Rebekah Gardner (L.) entered the starting lineup for the Liberty's game against the Storm on June 22, 2025. AP Advertisement Fiebich and Jones can't be replaced by any one player. But the Liberty have the pieces to try to steady this tumultuous road trip. The team established a foundation of chemistry with one another in training camp. But practice doesn't perfectly replicate game action. Brondello said the challenge is to continue to grow together and weather this trying stretch. 'They do get opportunities to play for each other and I think not much in a game. But these games will help us,' Brondello said. 'Yes, we know we're down three starters. We're the underdogs at the moment, but we competed [Sunday] and we nearly had the chance to win a game.' Gardner was one of the reasons why the shorthanded Liberty managed to hang around the Storm for most of Sunday's game.
