Liberty fire Sandy Brondello, begin search for new coach

The New York Liberty fired head coach Sandy Brondello on Tuesday morning, less than a year after she guided the franchise to its first WNBA championship. The decision, made by Liberty leadership, immediately sparked a nationwide coaching search as the team aims to sustain its sudden rise to the pinnacle of women’s basketball.

New York Post reporting identifies eight potential candidates the Liberty could pursue to replace Brondello. Among them are Sonia Raman, a Liberty assistant who joined the organization this season after four years on Taylor Jenkins’ staff with the Memphis Grizzlies, and Baylor coach Nicki Collen, a former WNBA coach with Atlanta. The article notes Raman brings in-game situational experience as a co-offensive coordinator and special-teams coordinator for New York, including strategic input on end-of-quarter and end-of-game decisions. It also points to her prior head coaching success at the collegiate level, where she became MIT women’s basketball’s all-time winningest coach over 12 seasons.

Sonia Raman’s résumé includes a blend of on-court program building and in-game decision-making that the Liberty organization may find attractive as they evaluate internal and external candidates. Her experience in collegiate coaching, combined with front-office exposure to NBA-level systems during her time in Memphis, could position her as a bridge for a franchise that values player development and tactical adaptability. While Raman has not yet held a head coaching job in the pros, her track record at MIT provides a demonstrated ability to lead and win at significant levels in women’s basketball, a credential that resonates with teams seeking a long-term vision beyond a single season.

Nicki Collen, meanwhile, represents a different path. Collen has roughly two decades of coaching experience and previously led the Atlanta Dream for three seasons, earning the 2018 WNBA Coach of the Year honor after guiding Atlanta to a 23-11 record in her first season. She took over Baylor’s program in 2021, succeeding Kim Mulkey, and has since guided the Bears to a 102-36 mark over multiple campaigns. Under Collen, Baylor reached the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 in 2024 and secured a No. 2 seed in 2022, underscoring her ability to build and sustain high-level success in a major college program that regularly sends players to the professional ranks.

The Liberty’s decision to part ways with Brondello comes after she helped deliver the franchise’s first WNBA title and comes during a period of rapid change for a team that has quickly become one of the league’s staples. The firing places the Liberty in a high-stakes search that will likely draw interest from coaches with both NBA-influenced and college-to-pro backgrounds. While the NY Post’s list enumerates eight candidates, the team has not publicly disclosed a timetable for naming a successor, and officials have not released specifics about interview plans or the scope of the search.

As the Liberty navigate this transition, internal candidates and external contenders will be weighed for compatibility with the roster, culture, and organizational goals established during the Brondello era. The franchise’s championship run last season elevated expectations, and management will be charged with selecting a coach who can sustain that momentum while continuing to develop a roster built around star players and versatile, defensive-minded depth. The coming weeks are expected to include interviews and a phased assessment process as the Liberty evaluate leadership options that align with their long-term ambitions in the league.