LINK TO ARTICLE: https://www.hercampus.com/school/toronto-mu/sandy-brondello-3-facts-to-know-about-the-tempos-new-head-coach/
On Oct. 22, it was announced that the Toronto Tempo had hired Sandy Brondello as their head coach. A familiar face in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), Brondello joins the Tempo with 20 years of coaching experience and two championships under her belt.
Brondello’s competitive and feisty coaching style will undoubtedly match Toronto’s hunger to become the first WNBA expansion team to win the Commissioner’s Cup.
Getting excited, Tempo fans? Keep reading for three more reasons to love Toronto’s newest head coach.
1. A Decorated Player Career
Brondello grew up in Mackay, Queensland. Her professional career began in Australia’s Women’s National Basketball League, where she was named the Australian Basketball Player of the Year in 1992. During Brondello’s 10-year career, she reached the playoffs three times and was named Most Valuable Player in 1995 as a member of the Brisbane Blazers. Between 1992 and 2002, Brondello also played in Germany for BTV Wuppertal, where she won ten national championships and the 1995–96 FIBA Women’s European Champions Cup.
In 1998, Brondello took her talents to the WNBA. Selected by the Detroit Shock in the fourth round, Brondello quickly proved her worth, becoming an All-Star in the first WNBA All-Star game in 1999. Her WNBA journey included stints with the Miami Sol and the Seattle Storm.
Between her WNBA commitments, Brondello also played for the Australian Women’s National Team for over 15 years. With Australia, she won four World Championships, earning two bronze medals, and participated in four Olympic tournaments, securing two silver medals and one bronze.
2. Coaching Success
After deciding to invest in a coaching career in 2005, Brondello was quickly named an assistant coach with the San Antonio Silver Stars. She was promoted to head coach in 2010.
Three years later, Brondello was hired by the Phoenix Mercury as a head coach. In her inaugural season, Brondello led the Mercury to the league’s top record and highest single-season win total in WNBA history, with 29 wins and five losses, earning her a Coach of the Year Award. Under her leadership, the Mercury won the 2014 WNBA Finals by sweeping the Chicago Sky.
In 2021, Brondello parted ways with the Mercury. A month later, she became the head coach of the New York Liberty. Brondello coached the Liberty to the WNBA Finals in 2024, where the franchise won its first-ever title.
Brondello boasts an impressive 60% career winning record, having coached over 400 WNBA games.
3. An Austrailian Sports Icon
Brondello was elected to the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010, cementing her name in Australian Sports History.
In 2017, she became the coach of the Australian Women’s National Team, a full-circle moment that brought Brondello back to her roots. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Australian team won a bronze medal, the team’s first Olympic medal since 2012.
Brondello’s remarkable career spans the entire spectrum of basketball excellence. As a role model and ambassador for the sport, she has played a crucial role in raising the profile of women’s basketball in Australia and around the world—making her a perfect fit for the Toronto Tempo.
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