Coaches Rebound From Key Turnover

When teams make a coaching change during a season, one or two things can happen.

The players, either shamed or elated by the move, play harder and more harmoniously and turn a bad season around. Or they go deeper into the tank, and pretty much wait until next year.

It appears both Sacramento and San Antonio are on the high road.

The Monarchs were 2-5 and headed toward another lottery pick when Coach Maura McHugh, in her third season, was fired July 10. McHugh, whose coaching experience includes 13 years of NCAA Division I basketball and a year in the now-defunct American Basketball League, is considered a sharp strategist. But insiders in Sacramento say she had made the team’s playbook so thick, often adding three or four new plays specifically for that game day’s opponent, that her team became confused and disenchanted.

Since assistant general manager John Whisenant moved from the front office to the bench, Sacramento has gone 11-7. Even better, the Monarchs have won six of their last seven games, and are hot on the heels of Seattle, Houston and Minnesota for a Western Conference playoff berth.

“We knew we had talent and no one wanted to throw in the towel,” said guard Ticha Penicheiro. “We had half of the season to go and we knew we could play better than we were doing. It really doesn’t matter who’s coaching us; we are the ones who play. So we had an attitude check and started playing better.”

Added forward Tangela Smith, “The biggest thing [Whisenant] has done is make us work harder on defense. It has intensified 110%. He had his own plan for us, and we’ve responded to it. That and rebound. And when we play defense and rebound, we can run with Ticha in the open court, and that’s where she’s at her best.”

San Antonio stuck with Candi Harvey longer than Sacramento stayed with McHugh. And Harvey, who, like McHugh, has a Division I and ABL coaching background, is also considered a solid tactician.

But somewhere down the road Harvey, as did McHugh, lost control of the team. There were reports she was feuding with point guard Jennifer Azzi and several other players. The Silver Stars were in a new city, coming off a 2002 season in which (as the Utah Starzz) they had reached the Western Conference finals. They needed to look good for a new fan base. But under Harvey they had lost 10 of 16 games, the last two by 34 and 27 points.

Although assistant Shell Dailey was in her first year with San Antonio, after four years as an assistant at South Carolina, she was handed the job on July 26. The Silver Stars won their first three games under Dailey, including an upset of the Sparks. It may be too late for the Silver Stars to climb into the playoff picture, but they look more relaxed and confident.

“It was unfortunate that Coach Harvey and [assistant] Tammy [Reiss] got relieved, but sometimes change is good,” All-Star guard Marie Ferdinand said. “It almost feels like a new season, and it motivates you a little more.”

Said Azzi: “I think we’ve been waiting all season to see the kind of basketball we’re capable of playing. We’re playing harder, the intensity is up.

“We’re looking at these remaining games as let’s go out there, play hard and show people what we’re capable of. If that does lead to a playoff spot, great. If not, we want to finish on a strong note.”

The future of Dailey and Whisenant is uncertain. Dailey and her husband, Eric, are expecting their first child in January, and that may take precedence over removing the “interim” label from her title. Whisenant might want to return to the front office; he also serves as a scout.

But both have restored in their teams, at least temporarily, a sense of purpose and dedication.

That, in the long run, may prove to be more important than Xs and O’s.