Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco said after the team’s season-ending loss in the semifinals that he expects to return in 2027.
Asked whether he’s discussed his future with general manager Jonathan Kolb, DeMarco said, “As far as I know, every communication I’ve had, dialogue I’ve had, the answer is yes.”
DeMarco’s job security, just one year after taking the helm, is in the spotlight after the Liberty were swept out of the playoffs by the Dream.
Given a chance to endorse DeMarco’s return after the game, Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart each declined to do so.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Ionescu said. “Regardless, thankful for him coaching us this year and giving us a chance and we just fell short.”
“Those decisions aren’t ours,” Stewart added. “I think my focus and what I’m thinking about right now is just: missed opportunity.”
Kolb understood the risk of firing Sandy Brondello a year after she delivered the franchise its first WNBA championship. He said it himself that he needed to “nail” the hire for her replacement.
“Ultimately we determined that evolution and innovation is what is needed at this time,” Kolb said.
After a lengthy coaching search, the Liberty landed on DeMarco, a longtime Warriors assistant coach.
DeMarco was a somewhat novice head coach. His only prior experience as a head coach was leading the Bahamian men’s national team to the doorstep of the country’s first Olympic berth in basketball.
His inexperience in the first chair showed at times during the season in DeMarco’s management of late-game situations — the timeout snafu from the Game 2 loss to the Dream being the most recent and most prominent example — and ability to make in-game adjustments.
They finished the regular season with a 26-18 record — one win fewer than a year ago — and were the eighth seed in the playoffs after being fifth in 2025.
