WNBA power rankings: Statements made in A’ja Wilson vs. Aliyah Boston matchup

Player movement via free agency has made a lot of noise in recent years, but coaching turnover in the WNBA might be even more dramatic. There is only one coach in the league — Cheryl Reeve in Minnesota — who has been in his or her current position for two years, and at least two teams will be in the market for a new head coach soon after James Wade left the Chicago Sky for an assistant coach job with the NBA’s Toronto Raptors.

Plenty of coaches in the W have long track records within the league, if not in their current roles. Sandy Brondello spent eight years in Phoenix, Curt Miller seven in Connecticut, and Steph White was previously a head coach in Indiana. Several others were WNBA assistants for multiple years before getting the promotion, including Noelle Quinn (Storm), Latricia Trammell (Wings), Eric Thibault (Mystics) and Christie Sides (Fever).

But there does seem to be more change than usual at the top, and perhaps this is indicative of less patience from organizations. New ownership can’t make a lot of the changes they want within their franchises — though owners like Las Vegas Aces’ Mark Davis and New York Liberty’s Joe Tsai have tried — so swapping out head coaches is the easiest potential fix. Las Vegas’ hire of Becky Hammon in 2022 obviously went swimmingly, and other young coaches are making their marks, specifically Sides in Indiana. But the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, and it does seem like some coaches have taken the fall for poor front-office decisions — the Dallas Wings, currently on their fifth coach in six seasons, come to mind.

The pendulum likely will swing back toward more continuity in the coaching ranks. For now, the pace of change is a little jarring. Getting fresh faces and ideas in the league is probably a good thing, but new coaches need some time to learn on the job, and they’re not all getting it.

Power rankings

Three standout performances

Battle of South Carolina No. 1s

Las Vegas and Indiana have already completed their three regular-season matchups for 2023, which is a real shame because the battle between A’ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston has been a delight to watch. The two No. 1 draft picks and national champions out of South Carolina were matched up against one another in consecutive games Saturday and Monday, and though Wilson claimed they were just normal nights in the association, her energy level suggested otherwise.

The centers repeatedly went after each other in the post, hitting the opposition with spin moves, up-and-unders and hard shoulders to the chest as they combined for 26 points in the paint in the first meeting in Las Vegas and 24 in the second. Boston showed no fear going up against the reigning MVP — or even against former two-time MVP Candace Parker when the matchup switched. Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley repeatedly said that Boston would look better offensively with pro spacing after only averaging 13 points per game her senior year….