It was quite the day in Toronto Basketball. It started at 11 am, when the Toronto Tempo held a press conference to welcome their first franchise head coach, Sandy Brondello, to the team. It ended a few blocks away at Scotiabank Arena, where the Toronto Raptors played the Milwaukee Bucks. Sandy Brondello was also there, by the way.
If you live in Toronto, you know it’s a basketball city, and everything about this very fun, very long day proved that. The Raptors have had 30 years now to establish themselves
in the NBA, and there is a general respect from most in the league about the place Toronto holds in the NBA history books. Obviously, the championship run is a big part of that, but this is a city opposing players love to come to, and where past and present Toronto Raptors have fond memories of.
The Tempo are already building that kind of reputation, which has been further solidified by the hiring of Sandy Brondello. A two-time WNBA champion coach, former player, Olympic player and coach, Brondello is one of the best coaches the WNBA has ever seen. She’s coached two other WNBA franchises, winning a title with both of them. She’s coached WNBA greats like Diana Taurasi and Breanna Stewart. The fact that a franchise that has not even played a game or signed a single player being able to get a coach of that calibre is impressive to begin with.
Brondello also had her pick of jobs and was offered head coaching jobs on “a few” different teams, in her own words. The two likely spots she was referring to are Seattle and Dallas, both with head coaching jobs available. In the end, she chose Toronto, explaining to the media earlier that it was the mix of a new challenge for her and the connection she formed with the front office that made it clear this was the spot she wanted to choose.
A hire like this just adds “aura” to the Tempo, as the kids would say.
Before the Raptors game, Darko Rajakovic said that he crossed paths with Brondello while she was the coach of the Phoenix Mercury and he was an assistant with the Suns. He praised her coaching ability and also said she’s a great person, mentioning that they’re getting dinner tomorrow to catch up.
In a way, the Raptors represent what the future will look like for the Tempo. Dedicated fan base, great NBA city, championship-calibre franchise.
What was a historic day for the Tempo was just another game day for the Raptors, and soon that will be the reality for the WNBA franchise as well.
After spending the first half of the day on the women’s side of the sport, it was time to speed walk down Front Street to Scotiabank Arena for the Raptors to play against the Bucks. The Bucks were on the second night of a back-to-back, and you could tell. The only two players in double figures at halftime for Milwaukee were Giannis and Myles Turner.
The Raptors took advantage of that. RJ Barrett co-led all scorers again with 23 points, getting 8 rebounds, 4 assists and shooting 6-12 from the field. Scottie Barnes had 23 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists, playing extremely well defensively and helping to hold Giannis to just 22 points in the game. Brandon Ingram had a quieter game with 13 points, but made 8 rebounds and 4 assists — and the fact that the Raptors were up 20 in the second half made it so that he didn’t need to score any more.
The bench also contributed, with Mamukelashvili scoring 15 points and Gradey Dick with 14 points of his own. Even Immanuel Quickley, who has been struggling to score as of late, was able to score 15 points on 5-15 shooting from the field.
It was a good win for the Toronto Raptors, ending at 128-100, a team who lost to this Bucks team a week and a half ago at their home opener. The win also brings them to an even record on the season, 4-4, as they head out on the road for the next few games.
The next time the WNBA plays in the regular season, Sandy Brondello’s Toronto Tempo squad (whoever they may be) will be playing. These normal Tuesday night games for the Raptors will soon be normal for the Tempo, something it feels like the city has been waiting for forever. With the Raptors on the rise this year, hopefully in a position to make the playoffs this season, the Tempo won’t be far behind in their quest for a postseason run and eventually a championship.
Even the most mundane of Tuesdays is a day full of basketball when you live in Toronto.
