Mercury Coach Profile: Vanessa Nygaard

Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts is doing well in his time with the Mercury, and one of the coaches before him was Vanessa Nygaard.

Jun 29, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard looks on against the Indiana Fever while wearing a We Are BG pin in support of Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner (not pictured) during the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Nate Tibbetts is doing an excellent job with the Phoenix Mercury, as they are one of the top teams in the WNBA this season. They have a record of 16-10, and despite a few recent losses, they remain a team to watch out for.

Tibbetts and the Mercury are fighting for a championship, and if they win, Tibbetts joins past Mercury coaches Paul Westhead, Corey Gaines and Sandy Brondello.

Westhead led the team to a championship in 2007. Gaines guided the Mercury to a championship in 2009, and Brondello's 2014 team won the franchise's third championship.

The Mercury have had their share of coaches over the years, and after Brondello and Phoenix decided to mutually part ways, they brought in another head coach.

Vanessa Nygaard was the head coach of the Mercury from 2022 to 2023. Before coaching, she spent time with multiple WNBA teams.

Nygaard was selected in the 1998 WNBA Draft. She was selected in the fourth round. Ironically, she was drafted in the same round as Brondello. Brondello was the 34th pick, and Nygaard was the 39th pick.

While she was drafted by the New York Liberty, Nygaard missed the 1998 season due to injury. She played a few games in the 1999 season, and by that time, she was with the Cleveland Rockers.

After her stint with Cleveland, she ended up playing with the Portland Fire, the Miami Sol and the Los Angeles Sparks. She also signed a deal with the Houston Comets after her time with the Sparks, but they waived her during training camp. During her career, Nygaard's best season was with the Fire, and she averaged 7.9 points and 3.8 rebound.

Nygaard moved on to coaching, and she started off as an assistant. She was an assistant coach for Long Beach State and Pepperdine before joining the San Antonio Stars. Eventually, she was assistant for the Las Vegas Aces, and later became the head coach of the Mercury.

May 12, 2023; Phoenix, Ariz.; USA; Mercury center Brittney Griner (42) high-fives head coach Vanessa Nygaard during a game at the Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Breen-USA TODAY NETWORK / The Arizona Republic-USA TODAY NETWORK

Mercury reach playoffs under Nygaard

In her first year with Phoenix, Nygaard led the team to a 15-21 record. Despite the Mercury being significantly befow .500, they reached the playoffs. They lost to the Las Vegas Aces, who went on to win a championship that year.

In 2023, Nygaard coached 12 games. The Mercury went 2-10 in that time, and Phoenix parted ways with Nygaard.

After they fired her, Nikki Blue was the interim head coach. As far as Nygaard, she eventually became the associate head coach of UC San Diego. Her time with the Mercury may not have lasted very long, but in a way, it paved the way for Tibbetts. The Mercury have quite the coaching history, and Nygaard is a part of that.

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