When reviewing the New York Liberty’s 2026 season, I wondered if general manager Jonathan Kolb would be willing to admit that Chris DeMarco was the wrong hire and move on from him after one season.
On Tuesday, we found out that, after some delay, he was, as ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reported that DeMarco will not return as the Liberty’s head coach. The decision reignites the scrutiny that surrounded Kolb electing to fire former head coach Sandy Brondello following the 2025 season and replace the championship-winning
coach and WNBA lifer with the longtime NBA assistant who lacked any experience in women’s basketball.
That sequence of moves guarantees that Kolb’s next hire—his fourth as general manger—will likewise be scrutinized. Twice, Kolb as hired white male coaches, pitching them as “bold” or “innovative” basketball thinkers in ways that reeked of subconscious sexism. His most successful hire in Brondello never was lauded in such manner, even as she actually won a championship.
In short, beyond the pressure of choosing a head coach who can elevate the Liberty back into true title contention, Kolb’s track record of hires and fires demands that he deftly navigate the sociocultural ramifications of his decision, understanding how the identity and experiences of his eventual hire will communicate who he understands as possessing championship-caliber basketball expertise.
These concerns are particularly pertinent because of the team’s progressive-leaning fan base, as Liberty fans, having long supported one of the league’s original and flagship franchises, including persevering through some dark days, possess an acute appreciation of the kinds of people and priorities that have made the league what it is today.
So, who should be under consideration to take over the sideline in Brooklyn?
Here are three candidates I think are worthy of a close look from Kolb. In the comments, share your thoughts about who you think should, and who you think will, be the Liberty next head coach. Or, explain why you think DeMarco deserved another year.
Kristi Toliver
The fan-favorite finalist for the Liberty job a year ago, Kristi Toliver’s resume resembles that of two of the most successful head coaches in the league: the Las Vegas Aces’ Becky Hammon and Golden State Valkyries’ Natalie Nakase.
Like the coaches who have won the last two WNBA championships, Toliver has a high-level playing experience that she has complemented with stints on NBA and WNBA benches. She began compiling her coaching portfolio all the way back in 2018, serving as an assistant for the Washington Wizards while she was still playing for the Washington Mystics. She then served as an assistant coach with Dallas Mavericks before joining Nate Tibbetts’ Phoenix Mercury staff as an associate head coach.
That’s nearly 10 years of coaching experience, on top of her accomplished playing career.
Toliver appears to check all the boxes needed to satisfy the various factions invested in the Liberty’s next hire. She is a woman of color with a deep history in women’s basketball as a player and coach who has rounded out her basketball expertise with NBA experience.
Lindsey Harding offers a similar profile, although the current Los Angeles Lakers assistant is considered the frontrunner for the still-vacant Los Angeles Sparks head coaching job.
Andrew Wade
When watching Liberty games during the 2026 season, it wasn’t uncommon to see Breanna Stewart consulting with Andrew Wade, with the pair engaging in a back-and-forth or watching film on an iPad. The assistant coach was holdover from Sandy Brondello’s staff, hired before the 2025 season. Prior to joining the Liberty, he worked for the Mystics, beginning as a video coordinator in 2019 before becoming a player development coach.
He’s also slated to begin his third season as the head coach of Laces BC in Unrivaled.
Because Wade has been part of the past two underwhelming Liberty seasons, the idea of him taking over could be uninspiring to Liberty fans hoping for change. However, as Wade’s coaching journey differs significantly from Brondello and DeMarco, he’s likely to introduce new ideas that could better optimize this roster, or whatever roster Kolb builds.
Wade’s player-development focus, plus the fact that he’s just 30 years old, recalls the resume of the Portland Fire’s Alex Sarama, whose debut season with the expansion team was widely rated a smashing success.
And while Liberty players’ endorsement of Brondello did not sway Kolb after the 2025 season, it might be smart to solicit the opinion of Stewart, regarding Wade or other candidates.
Brittni Donaldson
Speaking of the Fire, a team that overachieves, and does so in ways perceived as new and innovative, tends to encourage imitators, and, often, there’s no better way to try to tap into what such a team is doing right than by stealing one of their assistant coaches.
Yet, more than sitting beside Sarama on the Fire bench for a season qualifies Brittni Donaldson for consideration for the top job in Brooklyn.
Although just 33 years old, Donaldson’s coaching career began in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors, that season’s eventual NBA champions. From there, she served stints with the Raptors’ G-League affiliate, the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks before jumping to the W with the Fire.
A college basketball player at Northern Iowa, her expertise is in the area of analytics. With the Fire, she also serves as assistant general manager.
Unless Kolb can convince well-established head coach to leave their position for the Liberty, with longshot names like Hammon, South Carolina’s Dawn Staley and Duke’s Kara Lawson being thrown around, Donaldson might have the most impressive resume of any conceivable candidate.
