Michael Vaupel
Michael Vaupel
ESPN Senior Writer
Michael Voepel is a senior writer covering the WNBA, women’s college basketball, and other college sports. Vaupel began covering women’s basketball in 1984 and has been with ESPN since 1996.
Kevin Pelton
Kevin Pelton
ESPN Senior Writer
Co-author of the Pro Basketball Prospectus Series Former Indiana Pacers Consultant Developed WARP Ratings and SCHOENE Systems
The Los Angeles Sparks named Lynn Roberts their new head coach on Tuesday night, marking the second time in a week that a women’s college basketball coach has left the team during the season for the WNBA. Roberts spent the past nine seasons at Utah and was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2023.
Early Tuesday, new Atlanta Dream manager Karl Smesko met with the media for the first time since being hired on Nov. 13. Smesko had just begun his 23rd season with Florida Gulf Coast when he departed for the Dream.
Does this hire signal a new trend in the WNBA? Since the WNBA’s inception in 1997, the league hasn’t been very attractive to college head coaches, especially established veterans like Roberts, 49, and Smesko, 54. This is because college games have been considered more stable and profitable.
However, with the dramatic changes in college sports in recent years (NIL opportunities and one-time transfer waivers have made recruiting a more complex and time-consuming task), many within and outside of the WNBA. Officials speculate that the league may be influencing college sports. Now he might be able to appeal more to college coaches.
Smesko said in a press conference that he has enjoyed watching the WNBA for many years. He said he wants Dream to have a “fun and exciting style of play.”
Roberts, who is scheduled to hold an inaugural press conference Thursday, is also known for her up-tempo offense.
Three WNBA coaching spots remain in Connecticut, Dallas and Washington, as well as 2026 expansion franchises in Portland and Toronto.
Will we see other college coaches transitioning to the pro game?
“There’s never been a better time to join the W,” Smesko said Tuesday. “This is the most exciting time for the league.”
We’ll be looking at how Roberts’ move will affect the Sparks and how she will add to her staff.
Why does Roberts make sense for the Sparks?
Pelton: Similar to Smesko, Roberts earned a reputation within the NCAA for building a high-powered offense that relied heavily on strong floor spacing.
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Utah has ranked in the top 10 in HerHoopStats.com’s offensive rating each of the past three seasons, including third in 2022-23. The Utes ranked seventh in Division I in 3-point attempts per game last season, five behind Florida Gulf Coast.
Much of Utah’s success was due to player development. Minnesota Lynx forward Alyssa Pirri more than doubled her scoring from last season at USC (7.8 points per game, down from 16.3 PPG as a freshman) to 20.7 PPG in her first season at Utah. , stood out as a 3 point score of over 40%. A shooter aiming to be a first-round pick in the WNBA.
Pili was ranked No. 42 on the ESPN HoopGurlz 100 at the time of his signing with the Trojans, making him the highest-rated player on the Utes’ roster, which went 33-17 in the Pac-12 over the past three seasons. He was an expensive rookie.
Utah’s Gianna Neepkens is another success story who is not ranked as a prospect but is gaining attention in the WNBA.
The Sparks will need to develop those skills with their young roster. Los Angeles acquired the No. 2 pick in Sunday’s WNBA Draft Lottery, acquiring a pair of 2024 lottery picks Cameron Brink (No. 2) and All-Rookie Team pick Rikea Jackson (No. 4). These players will form the core of the Sparks going forward. Despite his youth, Los Angeles has an urgent need to make the leap quickly.
The Sparks are indebted to the Seattle Storm for acquiring an unprotected 2026 first-round pick in a trade last offseason to acquire Jackson.
How will Mr. Roberts and Mr. Smesko organize their staff?
Vaupel: Smesko said Tuesday he intends to bring on several assistants with WNBA experience, and Roberts is likely to do the same. Professional athletes are treated differently than college students. Coaches cannot micromanage professional players. We need to build relationships between respectful adults, not teachers and students. The most successful professional coaches still take clear responsibility, but listen to their players’ opinions on strategy. Coaches recognize that veterans in particular have valuable knowledge to share.
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Roberts and Smesko know the X’s and O’s of basketball, but they have a lot of catching up to do compared to their time in the WNBA. For example, the two rookies will come to understand that the best policy for a pro team is to let players rest, even if it means training less.
One big plus for the new coaches is that they join a league that established charter travel last season. Players and coaches have talked about how much of an impact it has had on reducing fatigue.
Roberts is a Northern California native who spent the first 13 years of his head coaching career at Cal State Chico State and Pacific before moving to Utah State. She has had a long coaching relationship with Sparks general manager Regan Pebley. Reagan Pebley is a former WNBA player who coached in college from 1997 to 2023. That gives Roberts an immediate comfort level with Pebley that will help her transition to the WNBA. .
What does it mean for another sitting Division I head coach to make the jump to the WNBA?
Pelton: Think of this as a sign of the evolving relationship between the NCAA and the WNBA. As recently as 2021, a WNBA head coach (Nikki Collen) left the team on the eve of the season to go to the Big 12. Now, that change is unfolding in reverse, with Roberts leaving a team that reached two Sweet 16s. A few years ago and now, we are starting this season with 3 wins and 1 loss.
The job at Utah now falls to former Roberts associate head coach Gavin Petersen, but it’s not as glamorous as the job Collen took (replacing Kim Mulkey at Baylor). But compared to Smesko leaving the Atlantic Sun for the WNBA, Roberts’ move signals that professional salaries can now compete with those in the higher tiers of Division I women’s basketball. , is a more prominent indicator.
It remains to be seen what kind of success Roberts and Smesko will have in the WNBA, but expanding the size of the coaching staff beyond the traditional group of former WNBA and NBA head coaches and assistants is certainly a good move for the league. It will be a good development.
Voepel: Kevin’s point about the talent pool is well taken. The NBA has gradually opened up to female assistant coaches over the past decade. That league doesn’t yet have a female head coach, but it could happen.
In a different era, someone like former WNBA player Lindsey Harding probably wouldn’t have gotten a chance in the NBA. Currently, she is an assistant for the Los Angeles Lakers. She will either stay in the NBA or go to the WNBA, as longtime San Antonio Spurs assistant Becky Hammon did with the Las Vegas Aces.
What this means is that the NBA is now looking to benefit from top coaching talent that was previously reserved for the women’s game. Therefore, the WNBA must continue to expand its coaching options and must pay competitive salaries.
