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Phoenix Mercury name Vanessa Nygaard as newest Head Coach

The Phoenix Mercury introduced their 10th head coach in franchise history who also hails from the Valley.
Credit: Luke Lyddon

PHOENIX — It's the start of a new era for the Phoenix Mercury as the franchise introduced its newest head coach and 10th in franchise history, Vanessa Nygaard.

Nygaard, born in Scottsdale, Ariz., brings nearly two decades of coaching experience at the high school, college, WNBA and international level. This, coming after a six-year playing career in the WNBA and a standout run at Stanford.

 "This is an absolute dream come true for me," Nygaard said. "Since I've been a player all the way back to the beginning of my career when I played in the WNBA, I've always wanted to be a coach in this league."

Most recently, in 2021, Nygaard was a top assistant with the Las Vegas Aces, helping to lead the team to the league’s second-best record in the WNBA before being eliminated in the Semifinals with the Mercury themselves.

"To coach one of the most storied franchises is something I couldn't even dream of," Nygaard said. "And now I am saying to myself, let's get to work."

Nygaard said in able to get to this point in her coaching career, she still needed more reps to make her dream a reality. That's when she took over as the head coach of one of the top California high school programs at Windward School in Los Angeles from 2012 to now.

During that span, she helped lead the program to two state titles and five CIF Southern Section Championships. Although at the highest level, Nygaard is determined to establish a new identity with the Mercury.

"I consider myself a relation leader," Nygaard said. "I want to take care of the players and make sure they have everything, so they can be their best. But the culture of the team will be one of work. We have to be dedicated to daily improvement and accountability."

Coach should have no issues getting the likes of 2021 Olympic gold-medalist's Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins-Smith to buy in to a hard work ethic.

"If you're taking care of that work ethic and operating with a high level of integrity, then you will have success," Nygaard said.

The three-time WNBA Champion Phoenix Mercury return to Footprint Center this summer, tipping off the season on Friday, May 6, against the Las Vegas Aces; a team Nygaard most recently worked for.

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