Myk Crawford/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
The Los Angeles Sparks have their next head coach.
Los Angeles announced Tuesday it hired Lynne Roberts as head coach. The position was vacant because the Sparks and former head coach Curt Miller mutually agreed to part ways after the 2024 campaign.
“First and foremost, Lynne’s leadership and integrity stand out,” general manager Raegan Pebley said in the team’s announcement. “Her ability to partner with players while creating a winning culture will translate as we continue our path toward championship contention.
“Lynne has a dynamic and forward-thinking offensive mind, and her up-tempo style fits perfectly with the way we want to play. We love how she maximized her talent at Utah in one of the nation’s strongest conferences. We are honored to welcome Lynne and her family to Los Angeles.”
Los Angeles is in the middle of a rebuild and was just 8-32 last season.
While that was the worst record in the WNBA, it also dealt with a number of injuries throughout the campaign. In all, the Sparks started 13 different players with only Dearica Hamby, Rickea Jackson and Kia Nurse starting more than half the games.
The most notable injury was to No. 2 overall draft pick Cameron Brink, who suffered a torn ACL and was limited to just 15 games. Having a healthy Brink back in the rotation should elevate expectations during Roberts’ first season at the helm.
Roberts has found plenty of success at the college level and led Pacific for nine seasons from 2006 to 2015 and Utah for the last 10 campaigns. She was the 2012-13 Big West Coach of the Year, 2014-15 WCC Coach of the Year and 2022-23 Pac-12 Coach of the Year.
The Utes were 9-21 in 2014-15 the season before Roberts took over and developed into one of the best programs in the country by the end of her tenure. They went to each of the last three NCAA tournaments and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2023.
Their offense stood out the most, as the Sparks’ announcement highlighted.
“The past three seasons, Roberts’ teams have displayed historic efficiency, ranking No. 1 in the nation in field goal attempts from beyond the three-point line and at the rim, second in overall offensive rating, and third in effective field goal percentage,” it said. “Collectively, these squads rank fifth among all DI schools in three-pointers made across the last three campaigns.”
Los Angeles fans will surely love to see that type of offensive efficiency on display as the team takes the next step and eyes potential playoff runs in the future.
Roberts will be introduced during a Thursday press conference.
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