There was a Commissioner’s Cup matchup at Barclays Center on Wednesday night, but more than anything it was a homecoming for multiple former Liberty faces.
At the forefront was Sandy Brondello, who returned to New York for the first time since being fired after four seasons with the Liberty, which included their first championship.
The Liberty stole the show in the end, besting their former coach in their first matchup with a 97-82 win over Brondello’s Toronto Tempo in the in-season tournament, in large part due to a huge game from Jonquel Jones.
Though Brondello didn’t leave Barclays with a win, she did leave with a lot of love from Liberty fans.
Before tipoff, the 13-year WNBA head coach confessed she didn’t want an extravagant welcome.
She hoped for nothing more than an image of herself on the jumbotron.
“I’m not someone that needs to be celebrated,” she said.
She didn’t get her wish.
One couldn’t miss the several Liberty players and training staff members, including Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Leonie Fiebich and Rebecca Allen, who approached Brondello during warmups, giving her hugs and a brief catch-up.
She received a booming welcome from fans during lineup announcements, smiling and waving to the crowd in thanks as her husband and Tempo assistant coach Olaf Lange patted her on the shoulder in support.
Brondello also received a tribute video in the middle of the first quarter, along with Isabelle Harrison, Nyara Sabally and former assistant coaches Brian Lankton and Lange.
It only made sense for a coach who left quite a mark on the franchise.
Through establishing championship-minded standards for her players and staff, Brondello led the Liberty from the bottom of the barrel to a consistent contender.
In 2022, Brondello inherited a team that had only won a combined 14 games over the two previous seasons. By 2024, she made herself the first and only coach to lead the Liberty to a WNBA title.
During Wednesday morning’s shootaround, Brondello said she didn’t think she would cry, but admitted she is an “emotional person.”
“I’m here to coach the other team, but I’m going to embrace the environment,” she said. “I don’t know how I’ll feel. I feel fine right now. I’m excited just to see all the familiar faces.”
Throughout the night, fans saw insight into Brondello’s new gig — a more developmental role with the Tempo after years of being in a win-now scenario between the Liberty and her eight years with the Mercury. But not much has changed in her coaching style.
They could hear her familiar whistle from the sideline as she did her best to get the better of her former players. Following an early Marine Johannès 3-pointer over Brittany Sykes, Brondello quickly yelled to her guard and went down the line to her players on the bench with directions.
A six-point game at halftime turned into as large as a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter as the Liberty ran away with the game in the second half.
Jones had a huge game, logging a double-double with 22 points and 17 rebounds. She shot 4-for-7 from deep. The Liberty also impressively kept a largely perimeter-shooting team to just 32 percent from beyond the arc.
For her homecoming, Sabally had 11 points and six rebounds.
