Over the last decade, Sandy Brondello has enjoyed one of the most unique coaching set-ups in sport as she balances her dual roles leading Australia’s women’s basketball team, the Opals, and coaching at three different WNBA teams.
Brondello, a two-time WNBA champion coach and Coach of the Year winner, is one of the most respected mentors in the women’s game.
Under the 57-year-old’s guidance, the Opals have reached the podium at the last two World Cups, and broken a 12-year medal drought at the Olympics in Paris two years ago.
Like many international teams, Brondello and Australia are trying to figure out how to topple the United States, a team which has not lost at the Olympics or the World Cup since 2006.
Sandy Brondello led the Opals to a bronze medal in Paris, their first podium finish at the Olympics since 2012. (Getty Images/Elsa)
A common thread in all of Australia’s knockout exits has been an inability to score consistently, and Brondello and her team have worked to unlock the team offensively since Paris.
“We want to play a little bit more positionless, where a guard can get a screen but they can also give a screen,” she told ABC Sport.
“We could give a screen to Ezi Magbegor to come in for a pick and roll with Alanna Smith.
“I think we’ve got the versatility there. It depends on how we are playing.
Sandy Brondello wants to emphasise the strengths of players such as Ezi Magbegor (pictured) in her new five-out offensive system. (Getty Images: Gregory Shamus)
“We still want that inside presence. It doesn’t mean that we don’t screen and we roll, and we’re just going to sit in the dunker’s spot, but it’s a different style that we feel complements the players that we have now.
“I think the players really like it [because] it is a lot of read and react.
“The hardest thing is that we don’t spend a lot of time with each other, but we’ve had time over multiple years, so we kind of know how the next person plays.
“Every country plays differently, so we have to be adaptable and flexible, but we don’t overlook what our identity is and how we can exploit things.”
Brondello’s dual role means that she can’t be on the sidelines at every single Opals game. The recent series against China saw her longtime associate coach Paul Goriss lead the team.
“I think I have the best two jobs in the world,” she said.
“I get to coach in the best league in the world, the WNBA, and I coach my beloved Opals.
“It is hard, so I have to have a staff that I can really trust and lean into. Most of them have been with me from the beginning.
“They get used to what style I want because it’s really important for me that whoever the coach takes over, we have to stay true to the style that we put in, because we have very little preparation time.”
Sandy Brondello’s longtime lead assistant, Paul Goriss (centre), leads the Opals when she is unable to attend due to her WNBA commitments. (Getty Images: Daniel Pockett)
“[Each game] is an opportunity to build connections. We have to make every day and every minute count, to be honest, because we are not like every other country that can get to spend a little bit more time [together].
“So what you lean into is the continuity that we’ve built over the time that I’ve been there.”
Brondello believes the Opals now have a good mix of youth and experience as they prepare for this year’s FIBA World Cup before the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Izzy Borlase was the youngest player on the Opals squad at the Paris Olympics, but is now reaping the rewards from that experience.
Sitaya Fagan (pictured) is one of a number of talented young players coming through the ranks to represent Australia. (Getty Images: Daniel Pockett)
Youngsters Bonnie Deas and Sitaya Fagan got minutes against China earlier this month, while Brondello is also incredibly high on Madison Ryan, who is currently a part of Australia’s under-17 team.
The likes of Deas, Fagan and Ryan will combine with stalwarts such as Magbegor, who was 18 when Brondello took the Opals job, and Sami Whitcomb.
Brondello also rates Jade Melbourne, still just 23, as one of the team’s leaders going forward.
Brondello’s WNBA coaching career has seen her lead some of the biggest stars in the women’s game, from Diana Taurasi in Phoenix to Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu in New York.
Sandy Brondello coached the superstar duo of Sabrina Ionescu (centre) and Breanna Stewart (right) during her time with the New York Liberty. (Getty Images: Ethan Miller)
The dual role means Brondello can take sets from her WNBA teams and apply them to her Opals playbook where she sees fit.
“It would be too hard for me to change styles,” she said.
“With the Opals, it is probably a smaller version of what I run with the [WNBA] team.
“There are certain plays where I think, ‘OK, that would be a great play to exploit with a team like Belgium to put a certain player in the action.’
“I get to experiment, and if something [works], that’s in the memory bank. You never know. Most of these players play in the WNBA too, so I think it goes hand in hand.
“It allows me to steal from other teams too. If [a play] works and I have similar players, I’m like, ‘Yeah, let’s go.’
“All those experiences have certainly helped me, and I can lean into it when we need it.
“When we are together [with the Opals], I try to keep it very simple in terms of how we want to play.
“I just want [the players] to read and react on how they are being defended, and how they can create advantages and keep advantages.”
A fresh challenge in Toronto
Sandy Brondello (left), pictured here with Nyara Sabally, is now the inaugural coach of the Toronto Tempo. (Getty Images: Michael Reaves)
There were shock waves felt around the WNBA when the New York Liberty chose to let Brondello walk at the end of the 2025 season, just 12 months after she had led the team to a title.
Nine of Brondello’s 12 seasons as a WNBA coach have ended with her team holding a winning regular-season record, and shortly after her release, she was signed to be the inaugural head coach of the expansion franchise, Toronto Tempo.
While the Tempo are currently not title contenders like her previous teams, Brondello is relishing the challenge, saying her current role has similarities to the Opals job.
“I’ve had some great success in the league, and I’m well-respected, so it was about what would motivate me the most, [and] I felt the challenge of building something from the ground up really did,” he said.
“It’s really like in 2017 taking over the Opals program, because it was all new, and we’re laying the foundation, and learning from where we weren’t so good and continuing to evolve. I get a really big say in that.
“I’m the most experienced person here, but I still like alignment and collaboration, and I feel like I have that.”
Also a part of the appeal of the Tempo job for Brondello is the ability to work with other female leaders.
Tennis icon Serena Williams is a part of the team’s ownership group, while Teresa Resch is the president, and two-time WNBA champion Monica Wright is the general manager.
While Brondello is the head coach in Toronto, her role entails much more because the franchise is in its inaugural WNBA season.
Serena Williams (pictured) is a part of the Tempo’s ownership group. (Getty Images: Jan Kruger)
“We’re building from the ground up on the business side as well,” she said.
“The game operations, that hasn’t been done before, and it’s exciting. Every game we’re evolving the game operations and the presentations.
“On the sponsors’ side, we’re the second-ranked team in terms of revenue earned already, and that was before we’d even played a game, so that shows the interest in women’s sport.
“We’re building a health and performance staff, trying to get the right people in. I have to build my coaching staff; we’ve got a front office staff.
“There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes into putting the team on the floor, and you’re learning along the way.”
Having lifted the trophy at her two previous stops, when does Brondello expect the Tempo to be competing?
“Can we push for a play-off spot? That was our goal [for the inaugural season],” she said.
“Let’s see how competitive we can be, and then let’s see what we need to make sure we’re better the following year.
“We’re creating a real buzz around the city. The fans here are very supportive.
“We’ve got a family; everyone is welcome here.”
