SAN FRANCISCO — Sunday will feel like a homecoming of sorts for Liberty coach Chris DeMarco.
DeMarco spent the past 14 years with the Golden State Warriors, working his way up from the film room to eventually a front-of-the-bench assistant on Steve Kerr’s staff.
He was on board for the entire Warriors dynasty era. He has four NBA Finals rings to prove it. He worked closely with many players — Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole and Draymond Green being just some of them.
DeMarco always considered the opportunity to be a head coach and lead his own team. He’s been in charge of the Bahamian men’s national team since 2019 and brought the country to the doorstep of its first Olympic berth for men’s basketball two years ago.
The Liberty job was one of the hottest coaching vacancies during the WNBA offseason. The Libs have the resources to go out and get whom they wanted. General manager Jonathan Kolb targeted candidates with NBA backgrounds.
He ultimately hired DeMarco, who overhauled the team’s style. The installation process and subsequent feeling-out period have had their bumps. The Libs offense ranks seventh and defense fifth through the first seven weeks of the season.
DeMarco plans to revisit his old office in Chase Center, which was a second home for DeMarco since it opened in 2019. (The Warriors previously played at Oracle Arena in Oakland.)
“That’s probably gonna be a little bit weird being in there,” DeMarco told The Post. “But yes … obviously know [Chase Center] well. I’m excited to really see a lot of people from the Warriors organization, people I coached with, people I coached, other people in the building. So it’s gonna be fun, even pulling up and seeing everybody at the door.”
It will also be somewhat of a reunion for Liberty assistant coach Will Sheehey, who joined the Warriors in August 2021 as an assistant video coordinator.
Sheehey was quickly promoted to player development analyst and later to assistant director of player development.
Sheehey left the Warriors ahead of last season to join Denmark’s Bakken Bears as an assistant coach and head of player development before taking the Liberty job.
DeMarco went to several Golden State Valkyries games last season, so he knows the environment will be rowdy and engaged.
“When it’s [the NBA’s] offseason, to be able to still go to Chase and get some action, watch great basketball,” DeMarco said, “yeah, I had a lot of fun as a fan.”
