Vanessa Nygaard
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Scottsdale, Arizona | March 13, 1975
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Carlsbad High School (Carlsbad, California) |
College | Stanford (1994–1998) |
WNBA draft | 1998: 4th round, 39th overall pick |
Selected by the New York Liberty | |
Playing career | 1999–2003 |
Position | Forward |
Coaching career | 2003–present |
Career history | |
As player: | |
1999 | Cleveland Rockers |
2000–2001 | Portland Fire |
2002 | Miami Sol |
2003 | Los Angeles Sparks |
As coach: | |
2003–2004 | Long Beach State (Assistant) |
2004–2008 | Pepperdine (Assistant) |
2008 | San Antonio Stars (Assistant) |
2008–2012 | Windward School (Associate HC) |
2012–2021 | Windward School |
2021 | Las Vegas Aces (Assistant) |
2022–2023 | Phoenix Mercury |
Vanessa Nygaard (born March 13, 1975, in Scottsdale, Arizona) is a professional basketball coach and former player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is the former head coach for the Phoenix Mercury.
Stanford University
After graduating from
Playing career
After graduating from Stanford, Nygaard began her six-year career in the WNBA. She was selected by the
During the WNBA off-season, she played in professional basketball leagues in Europe, including Germany (2001), Spain (1999) and Italy (1998).
Coaching career
In 2003, Nygaard became an assistant coach for the women's basketball team at California State University, Long Beach. The following year, in June 2004, she was hired as an assistant coach with Pepperdine University.
In 2008, she was named as an assistant coach for the
Nygaard took over as head coach of the girls' basketball team at Windward School in 2012-13. She has coached the team to three state titles, in 2013, 2017, and 2018.
In 2017, she joined USA Basketball as an assistant coach, helping lead the team during the 2017 FIBA America's Under-16 Championship and the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup.
In 2021, she joined head coach Bill Laimbeer on the Las Vegas Aces staff as an assistant coach.
Nygaard was named as the head coach of the Phoenix Mercury on January 24, 2022.[1] The Mercury fired Nygaard on June 25, 2023, after starting the 2023 season 2–10.[2]
Head coaching record
Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PHO | 2022 | 36 | 15 | 21 | .417 | 4th in West | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | Lost in First Round |
PHO | 2023 | 12 | 2 | 10 | .167 | 6th in West (at time of firing) | - | - | - | – | Fired after 12 Games |
Career | 48 | 17 | 31 | .354 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
References
- ^ "MERCURY NAMES VANESSA NYGAARD HEAD COACH". Phoenix Mercury. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
- ^ Merchant, Sabreena. "Phoenix Mercury fire coach Vanessa Nygaard after 2-10 start to season: What went wrong?". theathletic.com. The Athletic. Retrieved 26 June 2023.