It is never easy to replace a coach with a winning record but sometimes changes are good. That appears to be the case with the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. When Penny Toler took over for Carol Ross last week with 12 games remaining in the regular season some people thought that was a bad move. Ross was 61-36 the past few years and she deserved the right to finish out the season, but management had different ideas.
After the Sparks 77-73 win over the Indiana Fever last Monday at the Staples Center management may have made the right decision. Not only did the Sparks win without their best player, Candace Parker, they played with energy and they may have played their best defensive game of the year. On Tuesday they took a step back when they were beaten by the best team in the WNBA, the Phoenix Mercury 90-69.
“To honest with you that’s why the owners wanted me to coach the team because they know I am aggressive,” said Toler last Monday. “The owners wanted the players to turn up the volume and that’s what we are trying to do.”
On Sunday the Sparks (12-15) will start a very important three game home stand. On Sunday they face Connecticut at 12:30 p.m. and they battle Tulsa on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. They play Atlanta, the first place team in the Eastern Conference on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The Sparks need to win at least five of their remaining seven games because they are a game behind third place San Antonio in the Western Conference. They need to secure the third spot to avoid playing the powerful Phoenix Mercury (22-3) in the playoffs. If they capture the third spot they will face Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs. Pick your poison. Minnesota is the second best team in the WNBA with a record of 21-6.
“We are not going to sit back and wait for teams to lose,” said Toler. “We are going to play hard. We have to attack, but at the end of the day we have to play with passion and enthusiasm. Last but not least we need to go out there and have fun.”