Agler out as coach of Wings | The Boneyard

Agler out as coach of Wings

KnightBridgeAZ

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I have never particularly found Agler particularly likeable among the various coaches we only know by their public persona. I know former Rutgers Assoc. Coach Carlene Mitchell considered him a mentor.
 
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Not surprised. The drafting of all those young players and the management of the roster warranted this. I see the same happening in New York; I don’t even know who their coach is.
 

eebmg

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Could it be connected to the Azure / KLS trade which I think most consider based on YR1 at least to be substantially in Chicago's favor? Which side did Agler fall on this trade?
 

donalddoowop

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I wonder how this will affect Arike's style of play.
 
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HuskyFan1125

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“Philosophies on how to get to a championship level”.....

It differs??

Hasn’t Agler taken 2 teams to to a championship???

Something is a miss in that statement IMO.
 
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Matthew1589

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Agler looked kind of lost the last two seasons in regards of what to do with a young lineup. He may have gotten used to chasing championships with veteran teams.
 

Dillon77

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Whoa. This one caught me a bit unawares.
Take a look at these two paragraphs from Chantel Jennings, WNBA and women's college basketball senior writer for the Athletic.

"Wubble Wrap Up" Top Takeaways:
1. Dallas is going to be good. Like really, really good. Like, damn-how-did-they-get-so-good-so-fast kind of good. As long as (and this is the key part, so pay attention) they can keep this core group together and stay healthy. Arike Ogunbowale is one of the most clutch players in the WNBA right now and Satou Sabally is going to keep making major strides with the more minutes she gets. Add in Marina Mabrey, Allisha Gray, Bella Alarie and a healthy Isabelle Harrison, and this young team could build something special in the next few seasons. Are you looking for a bandwagon? Look no further.

Now, a few days later:
Chantel Jennings, WNBA and women's college basketball senior writer: When Agler was hired, Bibb said: “Brian’s record as a coach and reputation as one of the premier developers of basketball talent make him the ideal person to lead our young and talented team moving forward.” But even with this season — which felt like a good building block — it wasn’t enough. ESPN’s Mechelle Voepel reported that there were “different philosophies” between Agler and the organization regarding how to bring this young team along to a championship level.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Agler and his staff certainly rode a few waves during his first two years in Dallas. In year one, Liz Cambage forces a trade and MoJeff, who comes along in the trade, can't play. Diggins-Smith sits out the whole year, the forces a trade herself.

In year two. MoJeff is injured yet again as is Isabelle Harrison. On top of that, there is a huge influx and exodus of players, both via trades and draft choices. And roster decisions were made sans the practice court.

End result: a very young team comes down to the last day before not making the playoffs.

I'm not quite as high on them as Jennings, but I think there are a lot of building blocks. Upon reflection, maybe too many. And there are more draft choices to be chosen this year.

As Voepel says, there were "different philosophies" on next steps between Agler and Wings president and CEO Greg Bibb. But were't they working together on the construction of the team roster? Or was it the way Agler used it and/or wanted to go forward?

Or, was there some friction between coach and players? (No idea there, but living in a contained environment for a few months has got to be tough on everyone.)

If this has to do with player and roster development/utilization, a lot of eyes on Bibb and how me moves going forward. There is a solid core group here. If MoJeff can come back, she can offer a calming presence for a young team. Perhaps she can be joined by another vet who can help out at center (another possible place for Natalie Achonwa).

And a good coach needs to figure out how to get KLS and Alarie into the mix.

Stay tuned...I'll be interested in who gets to take this one on...
 

eebmg

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Whoa. This one caught me a bit unawares.
Take a look at these two paragraphs from Chantel Jennings, WNBA and women's college basketball senior writer for the Athletic.

"Wubble Wrap Up" Top Takeaways:
1. Dallas is going to be good. Like really, really good. Like, damn-how-did-they-get-so-good-so-fast kind of good. As long as (and this is the key part, so pay attention) they can keep this core group together and stay healthy. Arike Ogunbowale is one of the most clutch players in the WNBA right now and Satou Sabally is going to keep making major strides with the more minutes she gets. Add in Marina Mabrey, Allisha Gray, Bella Alarie and a healthy Isabelle Harrison, and this young team could build something special in the next few seasons. Are you looking for a bandwagon? Look no further.

Now, a few days later:
Chantel Jennings, WNBA and women's college basketball senior writer: When Agler was hired, Bibb said: “Brian’s record as a coach and reputation as one of the premier developers of basketball talent make him the ideal person to lead our young and talented team moving forward.” But even with this season — which felt like a good building block — it wasn’t enough. ESPN’s Mechelle Voepel reported that there were “different philosophies” between Agler and the organization regarding how to bring this young team along to a championship level.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Agler and his staff certainly rode a few waves during his first two years in Dallas. In year one, Liz Cambage forces a trade and MoJeff, who comes along in the trade, can't play. Diggins-Smith sits out the whole year, the forces a trade herself.

In year two. MoJeff is injured yet again as is Isabelle Harrison. On top of that, there is a huge influx and exodus of players, both via trades and draft choices. And roster decisions were made sans the practice court.

End result: a very young team comes down to the last day before not making the playoffs.

I'm not quite as high on them as Jennings, but I think there are a lot of building blocks. Upon reflection, maybe too many. And there are more draft choices to be chosen this year.

As Voepel says, there were "different philosophies" on next steps between Agler and Wings president and CEO Greg Bibb. But were't they working together on the construction of the team roster? Or was it the way Agler used it and/or wanted to go forward?

Or, was there some friction between coach and players? (No idea there, but living in a contained environment for a few months has got to be tough on everyone.)

If this has to do with player and roster development/utilization, a lot of eyes on Bibb and how me moves going forward. There is a solid core group here. If MoJeff can come back, she can offer a calming presence for a young team. Perhaps she can be joined by another vet who can help out at center (another possible place for Natalie Achonwa).

And a good coach needs to figure out how to get KLS and Alarie into the mix.

Stay tuned...I'll be interested in who gets to take this one on...

Well, according to this article, with the Blessing of Arike, Assistant Coach Crystal Robinson seems like a potential hire.

Crystal Robinson Should Replace Brian Agler As the Wings Head Coach - Oct 14, 2020


“She helps everybody with everything. She is a great shooting coach, a great basketball coach. She has a great basketball mind. She’s been in our position. She’s played in the WNBA for years, been in WNBA championships, like done all that. She knows basketball, been overseas, so we can relate to her really really well. She loves us, she supports us with everything, always has our back. As I said, she’s one of the smartest basketball minds I’ve known and she’s hilarious, she really helps the team a lot, just her energy and everything she brings to life. We wouldn’t have as much fun if Crystal wasn’t on the coaching staff.”

Being a Black Woman (0 current) would be a factor I imagine as well
 

Dillon77

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Being a Black Woman (0 current) would be a factor I imagine as well

Point well taken. She certainly seems to have excellent experience, as well.

BTW, wasn't Greg Bibb the same GM who got into an "altercation" with Fred Williamns and fired him?

Hmm. fool me once... ;) :rolleyes:
 
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Agler looked kind of lost the last two seasons in regards of what to do with a young lineup. He may have gotten used to chasing championships with veteran teams.
I agree he’s not the best with a young roster.
 

Bigboote

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Many WNBA coaches are also GM's. I can't find that Agler was for the Aces. If that's the case, maybe the "different philosophies on how to get to a championship level” had to do with their trading so many players for draft picks, and possibly also with the picks they made? The Wings passed on Collier and (repeatedly) Dangerfield. ;)
 
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Many WNBA coaches are also GM's. I can't find that Agler was for the Aces. If that's the case, maybe the "different philosophies on how to get to a championship level” had to do with their trading so many players for draft picks, and possibly also with the picks they made? The Wings passed on Collier and (repeatedly) Dangerfield. ;)
But, They ended up with Arike . The Dangerfield miss for Ty Harris seems to be a possible blunder . Maybe the WFO are thinking of how effective one will be later in their career.
 
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But, They ended up with Arike . The Dangerfield miss for Ty Harris seems to be a possible blunder . Maybe the WFO are thinking of how effective one will be later in their career.
We don’t exactly know if Dangerfield would’ve been productive on that team. She probably wouldn’t have got the playing time, not because of her ability but because of management and coaching. I think her going to the Lynx worked out well for her.
 
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My hopeless guess is that they have good young players, and if Sabally can take command of the team- yes. But I see it as Arike's and she is a different animal. I soured on her in a game where she scored 40+ points as a point guard without running a single play-- beyond her shooting. After seeing her taking the ball out of the hands of a player and then shooting it, I turned the game off. My conclusion then: she might be impossible to stop as a player, but you will not win championships with her as the star. The irony of such talent. (Actually, on 'Tea with Pheesa & Aja with Parker as guest, all 3 commented on relentless scorers --just let them score and find other ways to beat them. That is, don't waste your energy.)
 

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