Unrivaled Names Their Head Coaches Including Teresa Weatherspoon and Phil Handy
The build up to Unrivaled continues with the reveal of the six head coaches headlined by former Chicago Sky Head Coach Teresa Weatherspoon
It has been a week full of information coming from the Unrivaled camp as we await the beginning of the brand new league at the passing of the new year, today we were treated to the six inaugural head coaches.
These six coaches will help determine the roster of the teams as they pick from the pool of players to make the most interesting and even teams possible. The catch? These coaches don’t know what teams they will end up being at the helm of. These rosters will then be revealed on November 20th.
But who are these six coaches? Some you might know, some you might now. Let’s dive in.
Teresa Weatherspoon
Well look I said you might know some. The headliner of the coaching class is absolutely former Chicago Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon. This will be the first time we see T-Spoon back on the sidelines since her departure from the Sky following just one season as the franchise’s first head coach. Fans surely will be hoping to see her and her former player Angel Reese (who was excited in her own right as you can see below) paired up as player and coach once again after they build their deep relationship that has extended past Weatherspoon parting ways with the Sky. Will this be the precursor to Weatherspoon landing again on a WNBA bench? We will have to wait and see.
Phil Handy
Phil Handy is a longtime NBA assistant coach who has become known for offseason workouts over the years with players such as Kobe Bryant, JuJu Watkins, and Chelsea Gray. Handy has won three NBA championships as an assistant and most recently was an assistant coach on the Los Angeles Lakers from 2019-2024. This will be his first time taking the lead as a head coach of a professional team.
Adam Harrington
Adam Harrington is another coach coming from the NBA world as a longtime assistant on the Brooklyn Nets from 2016 to 2022. Harrington also had an extended overseas playing career from 2003-2010 following going undrafted in 2002 and having short stints with the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets. The personal training aspect is also coming into play with Harrington similar to Handy with players such as Kevin Durant and Paolo Banchero.
DJ Sackmann
DJ Sackmann primarily comes from the skill training and development world opposed to is being on top of an assistant coach resume. Sackmann founded Hoopstudy, an online basketball basketball education company that helps bring the skill development to the players.
Andrew Wade
Hailing from a recent WNBA background is Andrew Wade! Wade has been the Head Video Coordinator and Player Development Assistant for the Washington Mystics since 2022. Working his way up through the Washington basketball ecosystem since 2019 between the Mystics and the NBA G-League’s Capital City Go-Go, Wade brings the player development along with some WNBA experience to Unrivaled.
Nola Henry
Last but not least, Nola Henry, who touts the most extensive record of time spent on the sidelines in the WNBA. Henry has spent now four seasons roaming the bench in the W, most recently as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Sparks this past season. Prior to that she was the player development coach for the Sparks after making the jump from the Sun where she was apart of the staff as the Head Equipment Manager and aided the staff along the way.
What are the takeaways?
The prioritization on player development is incredibly clear reading over the background of each coach that will be taking over one of the six Unrivaled teams. We have heard so much about how important playing overseas is for development purposes of players in the WNBA and now it seems like Unrivaled is trying to not only keep it in the United States, but also bring in renowned skill developers to fast track development in the short time in Miami.