Cameron Brink's New WNBA Coach Facing Criticism For Controversial Coaching Philosophy
Cameron Brink's Los Angeles Sparks will have a new head coach in 2025 after the dismissal of Curt Miller two months ago and her name is Lynne Roberts. And already Sparks fans seem to be nervous that things may get worse before they get better.
Three days ago the Sparks announced that Roberts would be their new head coach. She departed Utah in the middle of her 10th season with the program to take the job.
Roberts held her introductory press conference yesterday and promptly made a comment that has a lot of fans concerned. She said that her scoring philosophy is "points per attempt" and "points per possession" before expressing that shooting around the rim and on three point shots are above all.
"Everything with scoring it comes down to points per shot attempt and points per possession. If you’re talking about points per shot attempt the highest quality shot is around the rim and threes," Robert said, via WNBA Central on X.
Fans took exception to this comment, pointing out that the goal of any coach should be to build their plan where they put their players in the best position to succeed, regardless of personal preferences:
"This is professional basketball. As a coach, you should be putting your players in the best space to succeed. She bet not change Rickea’s game this early in her career," one user wrote.
EDMONTON, CANADA - MAY 4: Cameron Brink #22 of the Los Angeles Sparks looks on before the game against the Seattle Storm during the WNBA preseason game on May 4, 2024 at Rodgers Place in Edmonton, Canada. (Photo by Jordan Jones/NBAE via Getty Images)
"I was hoping her philosophy would change a little since this is the professional league but I guess not," wrote another.
"Quality is more than just numbers on the board… also your philosophy should adjust to your roster NOT the other way around," a third declared.
The Los Angeles Sparks clearly want to capitalize on the growing popularity of the WNBA, especially now that they have one of America's most popular players in Cameron Brink. But if Brink isn't able to thrive under the new leadership, they're going to want newer leadership in short order.
