New York Liberty's Bill Laimbeer Named WNBA Coach of the Year
September 17, 2015 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
New York Liberty News Release
NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2015 - New York Liberty Head Coach Bill Laimbeer, whose team finished a league-best 23-11 to complete the most successful regular season in franchise history, is the recipient of the 2015 WNBA Coach of the Year Award, the WNBA announced today. This marks the second such honor for Laimbeer, who also won in 2003 with the Detroit Shock, and it is the first time any Liberty head coach has received the honor in the franchise's 19-year history.
Laimbeer received 23 votes from a national panel of 39 sportswriters and broadcasters. First-year Indiana Fever Head Coach Stephanie White finished second with seven votes and Fred Williams of the Tulsa Shock was third with six. One vote each went to 2010 Coach of the Year Brian Agler of the Los Angeles Sparks, 2014 winner Sandy Brondello of the Phoenix Mercury, and Pokey Chatman of the Chicago Sky.
In Laimbeer's third season at the helm, the Liberty secured the No. 1 overall seed in the WNBA Playoffs presented by Boost Mobile for the first time in team history. New York opens the postseason against the Washington Mystics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Friday, Sept. 18 (7 p.m. ET, NBA TV).
Under Laimbeer's tutelage, a revamped Liberty roster improved on last year's 15-19 record to make the playoffs for the first time since 2012 and clinch the top spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2002. With offseason acquisitions such as Epiphanny Prince, Brittany Boyd, Kiah Stokes, Tanisha Wright, and Carolyn Swords joining former league MVP Tina Charles, New York led the WNBA in defensive field goal percentage (.393) and points allowed (71.1 ppg).
Behind a stingy defense and standout seasons from Charles (who was third in voting for the 2015 WNBA Most Valuable Player Award presented by Samsung) and Prince (eighth in MVP voting), New York posted a league-best 11-6 road record and produced its first five-game winning streak since 2010. In addition, the Liberty swept the two-game season series with the Mercury for the first time since 2012, took both games from the Sparks for the first time since 2010, and went 2-0 against the Minnesota Lynx for the first time since 2007.
Laimbeer's other WNBA Coach of the Year honor came in his first full season guiding the Shock, which went a league-best 25-9 in 2003 after finishing 9-23 the previous season. He spent parts of eight seasons as the Shock's head coach and general manager, lifting Detroit to a 137-93 (.596) record and winning WNBA championships in 2003, 2006, and 2008. He then worked for two seasons as an NBA assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2009-2011) before returning to the WNBA with the Liberty in 2013.
Laimbeer played 14 NBA seasons and won back-to-back titles with the Pistons in 1989 and 1990. The four-time NBA All-Star finished his career with 13,790 points and 10,400 rebounds, retiring in 1993 as one of 19 players in league history to eclipse 10,000 in both categories. Detroit retired his No. 40 jersey in 1995.
Below are the voting results for the 2015 WNBA Coach of the Year Award as well as a list of past recipients:
2015 WNBA COACH OF THE YEAR RESULTS
Votes Coach Team
23 Bill Laimbeer New York Liberty
7 Stephanie White Indiana Fever
6 Fred Williams Tulsa Shock
1 Brian Agler Los Angeles Sparks
1 Sandy Brondello Phoenix Mercury
1 Pokey Chatman Chicago Sky
WNBA COACH OF THE YEAR WINNERS
2015 Bill Laimbeer New York Liberty
2014 Sandy Brondello Phoenix Mercury
2013 Mike Thibault Washington Mystics
2012 Carol Ross Los Angeles Sparks
2011 Cheryl Reeve Minnesota Lynx
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 17, 2015
- Liberty's Bill Laimbeer Named WNBA Coach of the Year - WNBA
- New York Liberty's Bill Laimbeer Named WNBA Coach of the Year - New York Liberty
- New York Liberty Game Notes: Eastern Conference Semifinals Game #1 vs. Washington Mystics - New York Liberty
- Brittney Griner Named 2015 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Presented by Samsung - Phoenix Mercury
- Mercury's Brittney Griner Named 2015 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year - WNBA
- Draft Ops Unveils Mystics Jersey Sponsorship - Washington Mystics
- Tulsa Shock Announce TV Broadcast Crew for First Round Home Playoff Game - Tulsa Shock
- Sky's Delle Donne and Vandersloot, Shock's Paris Earn 2015 WNBA Peak Performer Honors - Chicago Sky
- Sky's Delle Donne and Vandersloot, Shock's Paris Earn 2015 WNBA Peak Performer Honors - WNBA
- Chicago Sky Guard Allie Quigley Named 2015 WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year - WNBA
- Chicago Sky Guard Allie Quigley Named 2015 WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year - Chicago Sky
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
