CHRIS DEMARCO JOINS THE LIBERTY

After a two-month-long search, the New York Liberty finally has its head coach.

On November 21, it was reported that Chris DeMarco will be the new head coach for the Liberty. He succeeds Sandy Brondello, who moved on to Toronto after her four-year tenure in New York concluded in 2025.

DeMarco joins the WNBA after over a decade with the Golden State Warriors, where he won four NBA championships as an assistant. DeMarco has earned plenty throughout his career, and his style as an assistant can translate well to the head coaching position.

“His voice is huge,” Warriors forward Draymond Green told NBC Sports in 2023. “His voice is huge on this coaching staff. Chris DeMarco is one of those guys that’s not afraid to hear his own voice, that’s going to have those tough-ass conversations. He’s not afraid to challenge anyone. And I think that’s a special thing.”

DeMarco joins a Liberty team with championship expectations. 2025 ended on a rough note for New York, and the team hopes they can bounce back with a new voice leading from the bench.

Throughout this year’s coaching cycle, there’s evidence of a couple of trends over the past few years of coaching hires in the W, particularly the lack of Black women head coaches. It brought to mind something I wrote in 2020:

“Whether it’s professional sports, non-profit organizations, tech companies, or any other work setting you can think of, we hear all the time about their plans to increase diversity, expand the pipeline of talent, make leadership more representative of the communities they work in, etc.

However, it almost never shows in the results and we always seem to wind up back at square one wondering what more can be done so that minority candidates get their opportunity to be in leadership positions. It’s frustrating because every hire in a vacuum makes sense individually, but when you zoom out and look at the big picture, the door is shut for certain candidates to get their foot in the door.”

We’ll have plenty more on the next edition of Gotta Get Up.

Although there’s some uncertainty right now in New York, the Liberty remain a premier destination in sports. They have a passionate fanbase that sells out Barclays Center every night. Ownership has shown a willingness to invest in the team and players. And there’s still plenty of wonderful talent up and down the roster

As Jonathan Kolb said, they HAVE to get this hire right. We’ll see if he did.

BACK-TO-BACK AT THE LOTTERY

The Dallas Wings did it again.

The WNBA Draft Lottery was held Nov. 23, and the Wings walked away with the No. 1 pick for the second consecutive year. Here’s the full order:

Dallas has many options to work with. Do they take a center to give Paige Bueckers a solid pick and roll partner + low post option? Alternatively, do they select one of the many exciting guards that are in this year’s class and form a young, superpowered backcourt? We’ve got a long way to go before Draft Day, and the Wings will have a lot to think about.

For the Seattle Storm, they’re in a pretty fascinating spot. At No. 3, they have a variety of options available to them.

On the latest edition of Tempestade Talk, Erica L. Ayala, Roberta F. Rodrigues, and I dove into the state of the Storm and what their early plans might be.

Seattle has a LOT to figure out, and we’ll catalog every step of their new adventure.

HOW ARE THINGS LOOKING ON THANKSGIVING WEEK?

Here are the rankings for this week

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3

RUMBLE IN THE GARDEN?

It’s an exciting time for St. John’s University.

The Red Storm improved to 4-1 on the season after an upset victory over 18th ranked Oklahoma State on November 19. The Red Storm aren’t favorites to win the Big East this year, but things are looking up. And they’re looking to have their regular season finale in the World’s Most Famous Arena against the best team in college basketball.

On November 19, The Torch reported that St. John’s is in discussion to host the University of Connecticut at Madison Square Garden on March 1, 2026. It hasn’t been officially announced yet, but Athletic Director Ed Kull all but confirmed the news in a public conversation. TNT Sports is broadcasting the game that day, which will likely take place in the evening as the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks are tentatively scheduled to play each other on ABC earlier that afternoon at MSG.

St. John’s has been great to start this season and the opportunity to play at MSG is something that means a lot to players and coaches alike. New York has always welcomed UCONN with open arms and as one of the most popular schools in the NCAA, will draw plenty of fans to The Garden.

As we saw throughout the WNBA season, playing in larger arenas and selling them out is another sign that women’s basketball is growing at all levels. The fan interest is there, and with leagues looking to build on this momentum, the games will be held in the best arenas in marquee time slots. It’s long overdue and a sign of the new standard going forward.

At Black Rosie Media, we love to give flowers to other writers and creators in the women’s basketball community.

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