Seattle Storm's Brian Agler Named 2010 WNBA Coach of the Year
Published on September 2, 2010 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release
NEW YORK, Sep. 2, 2010 - The Seattle Storm's Brian Agler is the recipient of the 2010 WNBA Coach of the Year Award, the WNBA announced today. Agler received 17 votes from a national panel of 39 sportswriters and broadcasters. New York's Anne Donovan finished second with 13 votes while Washington's Julie Plank placed third with nine votes.
Agler earned his first Coach of the Year Award after leading the Storm to a 28-6 record regular season record, earning the No. 1 overall seed in the 2010 WNBA Playoffs presented by adidas. The Storm has since advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they will host the Phoenix Mercury in Game 1 tonight. Under Agler, the Storm became the second team to finish with a perfect record at home, going 17-0 at KeyArena. The 2001 Los Angeles Sparks accomplished the feat with a 16-0 record. The Storm also made franchise history with a 13-game winning streak that ended with a one-point loss at Minnesota on Aug. 1.
With Agler at the helm, the Storm ranked third in the league in scoring (81.8 ppg), third in rebounds (36.3 rpg), fifth in field goal percentage (44.5 percent), and sixth in steals (8.26 spg). Seattle also tied for second in offensive rebounds per game (11.6). A year ago, the Storm ranked 11th in the league in scoring (74.8 ppg), seventh in field goal percentage (43.0 percent), and ninth in both rebounds (32.5 rpg) and offensive rebounds per game (9.3).
Under Agler's tutelage, Lauren Jackson earned the 2010 WNBA Most Valuable Player Award presented by Kia Motors, the third such honor of her career. Along the way, Jackson also earned the Western Conference Player of the Month award presented by Kia Motors for three consecutive months (May-July). She also earned the Player of the Week award presented by Kia Motors five times during 2010, tying her own mark for the most such awards in a single season. Jackson finished fourth in points (20.5 ppg) and seventh in rebounds (8.2 rpg). Teammate Sue Bird finished second in the league in assists (5.8 apg).
In his three seasons as Storm head coach, Agler has had three winning seasons, all three with 20 or more wins. The 28 victories in the 2010 season marked the most wins in one season for Agler's WNBA coaching career. The previous two seasons, the Storm lost to the Los Angeles Sparks in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Agler has been in the WNBA since 1999, first serving as head coach and general manager of the Minnesota Lynx from 1998-2001. The Ohio native was then an assistant coach with the Phoenix Mercury in 2004 and the San Antonio Silver Stars from 2005-2007. Prior to joining the WNBA, Agler spent 15 seasons in the collegiate ranks before becoming Head Coach of the Columbus Quest of the ABL from 1996-1999. He led the Quest to back-to-back ABL championships in 1997 and 1998, compiling an 82-22 record, and was named the ABL Coach of the Year for the 1996-97 season.
Below are the voting results for 2010 WNBA Coach of the Year Award as well as a list of past recipients:
2010 COACH OF THE YEAR RESULTS
17 Brian Agler Seattle Storm
13 Anne Donovan New York Liberty
9 Julie Plank Washington Mystics
COACH OF THE YEAR WINNERS
2010 Brian Agler Seattle Storm
2009 Marynell Meadors Atlanta Dream
2008 Mike Thibault Connecticut Sun
2007 Dan Hughes San Antonio Silver Stars
2006 Mike Thibault Connecticut Sun
2005 John Whisenant Sacramento Monarchs
2004 Suzie McConnell Serio Minnesota Lynx
2003 Bill Laimbeer Detroit Shock
2002 Marianne Stanley Washington Mystics
2001 Dan Hughes Cleveland Rockers
2000 Michael Cooper Los Angeles Sparks
1999 Van Chancellor Houston Comets
1998 Van Chancellor Houston Comets
1997 Van Chancellor Houston Comets
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from September 2, 2010
- Seattle Storm's Lauren Jackson Named 2010 WNBA Most Valuable Player - WNBA
- Seattle Storm's Brian Agler Named 2010 WNBA Coach of the Year - WNBA
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