Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull shared her thoughts on Christie Sides’ recent firing on Monday.
“It’s tough. In this line of work, things are always changing,” Hull told Seerat Sohi on The Ringer WNBA show. “You never know what to expect, you never get too comfortable. Going into next year, I’ll have my fourth head coach in four years.”
Since joining the Fever in 2022, Hull has played under three different coaches — Marianne Stanley, Carlos Knox, and most recently Christie Sides. Hull spent two seasons under Sides, during which the Fever had a 33-37 record.
“It’s a tough job. I’m really sad for Christie; she’s a great person and leader,” Hull said. “I’m looking forward to see what she does next, and excited to see where our new coach takes us.”
In just over a month, seven WNBA coaches have left their teams: Curt Miller (Los Angeles Sparks), Teresa Weatherspoon (Chicago Sky), Tanisha Wright (Atlanta Dream), Latricia Trammell (Dallas Wings), Eric Thibault (Washington Mystics), Christie Sides (Indiana Fever), and Stephanie White (Connecticut Sun).
Furthermore, the Las Vegas Aces, Wings, and Mystics all have vacant general manager positions, with the possibility of more firings on the horizon.
“It’s unfortunate,” Hull remarked. “With seven new head coaches in the league, things are going to look very different. It’s an exciting time for the league, but it’s also sad to see some eras come to an end.”
Currently, it remains unclear if the same coaches will shuffle to new teams or if a new group of coaches will emerge. Stephanie White is reportedly linked to Indiana, while the plans of other teams are still unknown.
The only returning WNBA coaches at the moment are Becky Hammon (Las Vegas Aces), Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx), Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury), Sandy Brondello (New York Liberty), and Noelle Quinn (Seattle Storm). Hammon, Reeve, and Brondello have all won multiple WNBA championships. Tibbetts just finished his first season with the Mercury after many years as an NBA assistant, while Quinn has been the head coach of the Storm for four seasons following a long WNBA playing career.
There’s a question of whether new coaches may come from college, the NBA, or elsewhere. The league may see a mix of coaches finding new teams or a new wave of talent entering the coaching ranks. The status of coaching in the WNBA has certainly been raised in recent years.
“I believe it’s heading in a positive direction, with more competition and increased attention, the pool of coaching talent will only grow,” Hull expressed. “We’re going to see some great coaches emerging, and I’m excited to see how these new eras unfold. It’s uncertain right now, but I’m eager to see where we’ll be a year from now.”
