PHOENIX — A coaching staff can be a hierarchy, or it can be a collaboration. Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts chose the latter.
Tibbetts may be the face of the operation, but inside Phoenix’s coaching meetings, practices and game-planning sessions, the Mercury operate with a coordinated structure where assistants are encouraged to voice opinions and challenge ideas to help drive decision-making. Each assistant is empowered to take the lead on decisions and independently manage their own responsibilities.
“I want to give those coaches on my staff opportunities,” Tibbetts said following a preseason game, in which he let lead assistant Kristi Toliver take over as head coach in the second half. “Last year, I got kicked out of a game in the finals and put that on [Toliver], so I wanted to give her another opportunity. Those are reps, those are things that you need, even in the preseason. To be quite honest, I wish that could have happened to me more as a young coach in the NBA.”
A decision like that starts with building trust, and similarly to building a roster of players, trust is usually best established through continuity. Since becoming the Mercury’s head coach ahead of the 2024 season, Tibbetts has retained some key voices from his original bench while also welcoming new assistants into the fold this season.
Notably, Toliver, a 14-year WNBA veteran and Phoenix’s associate head coach, and assistant coach Megan Vogel return alongside Tibbetts for a third season in 2026. First-year additions TC Swirsky, a former NBA G League head coach, and Tangela Smith, another former WNBA veteran, round out Phoenix’s staff.
Future head coaches
Tibbetts’ willingness to delegate stems largely from his own path to Phoenix. Before taking over the Mercury, he spent 12 seasons as an NBA assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic. Entering the women’s game for the first time with Phoenix, Tibbetts knew how important it would be for assistants to have their voices trusted and their responsibilities expanded, rather than simply carrying out orders from above.
“Anytime you work for a head coach that has been an assistant, it’s just helpful because they get it,” Vogel told The IX Sports. “They’ve been in your shoes; they understand that everybody’s being pulled in a lot of different directions. He hired everybody for a particular job, and he empowers them to just go do it. He’s not a micromanager. He is not someone that’s watching you like a hawk all the time.”
Vogel, who arrived in Phoenix after more than a decade at the collegiate level, lives her own basketball journey that features many of the qualities Tibbetts values in his staff: experience, adaptability and leadership.
Just like he would do with Toliver less than a week later, Tibbetts stepped aside during a preseason game against the Chicago Sky in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, handing the clipboard to Vogel for much of the second half. The moment carried extra meaning in what was a shared homecoming — Tibbetts, the South Dakota native, and Vogel, a former standout at South Dakota State — as Tibbetts put his philosophy into action, giving one of his assistants a rare chance to experience the pressures and responsibilities of leading a WNBA team from the head chair.
“In a moment that should have been his, and rightfully so, he chose to share it,” Vogel said. “I will remember that not because I had a chance to coach in a W game. I will remember that because I hope that I get to do that for someone someday.”
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For a head coach, moments like that require a level of security and selflessness that can be difficult to find in a profession built on pressure, ego and results. Tibbetts spent years climbing toward his own opportunity to lead a team, yet the fact that he’s shown little hesitation in temporarily stepping away from that spotlight to elevate the people beside him is the ultimate sign of partnership, especially knowing that both Toliver and Vogel could become head coaches elsewhere sooner rather than later.
“I think it shows your team that you trust your assistants, because I do,” Tibbetts said. “I mean, those guys work their tail off for me, and I love what they bring. It’s just a great opportunity. I think it’s good for our players to see, and it’s just good for the league to see that these are two potential head coaches in the future. Somebody’s got to give them a chance.”
Toliver’s name has already surfaced prominently in those conversations. The Maryland Terrapins and WNBA legend was considered a finalist this offseason for the New York Liberty’s highly sought-after head coaching vacancy, and around league circles, it’s come as a shock that Toliver isn’t a WNBA head coach already.
“TC was here for like three days, and he looked at me and said, ‘[Toliver] is not going to be here long,’” Tibbetts said. “I’m hoping other teams keep making mistakes and not hire her. I’m super excited that she’s back.”
Vogel, too, hopes to one day lead a team herself, though her name may not float around head coaching rumors as much as Toliver’s. Still, being within a culture like Phoenix’s and taking advantage of the opportunities and advocacy Tibbetts is giving could go a long way.
“I think it’s inside of me, a dream of mine, obviously,” Vogel said of becoming a head coach. “Now that I’ve been at this level, to have an opportunity to lead a team one day would be great. But I’ll be honest, I am so happy where my feet are, being a part of this organization and learning from Nate. I want to keep learning and keep growing, so that whenever that time comes, I feel prepared and ready for that moment.”
For now, Vogel and Toliver remain in Phoenix. Vogel has been able to tap into her background coaching at the collegiate level, making her a valuable resource in player development and scouting. She also assists heavily with Phoenix’s offense alongside Tibbetts, helping organize game plans and implementing the offensive principles that have become central to the Mercury’s identity.
Toliver, meanwhile, entered this season with an entirely new challenge. After spending the previous two years focusing on the offense, Tibbetts assigned her to the defensive side of the ball for this season. It was a move intentionally done to utilize Toliver’s vast knowledge of the game, while also expanding her résumé.
“Michael Joiner, who was our defensive coordinator the last two years, left to go to Seattle, so obviously, somebody needed to step in and fill that void,” Toliver explained to The IX Sports. “What Nate was thinking — especially with whatever comes next, potential head coaching jobs — is I’ve done the offense, I’ve done the player development, and now, coaching defense will kind of complete that circle of responsibility.
“I love defense,” she added. “I’ve always been a pretty good help defender and a smart defender, so I’ve always had good principles. Just knowing what these teams are and knowing this league, I see things that we can do and trends that are happening. It’s been really fun.”
The transition already appears to fit naturally. Through the Mercury’s opening stretch of games, Toliver’s fingerprints have been visible in both scheme and emotion. Every loose ball, every scramble rotation and every energized defensive stop draws an animated reaction from both the players on the court and Toliver on the sideline, as if the competitive fire that defined her playing career has simply shifted into a different role.
Toliver talks about the Mercury in a way that still sounds like someone fully invested in the present, despite the very clear fact that it’s only a matter of time before she will part ways with Tibbetts to be the captain of her own ship. She’s energized by the day-to-day work, the relationships inside the building and the chance to help guide a roster she believes can compete for a championship.
“I know I’m capable. I know I’m ready,” Toliver said. “I’m excited for whenever that opportunity presents itself. I’ve done the interview process the last two years, and going into it every single time, I always felt great, because I felt like if I got it, terrific, if I didn’t get it, I’m extremely happy where I am.
“Even this year, going after the New York job and being a finalist, and when I didn’t end up getting it, the first thing I said was, ‘Well, now I still have an opportunity to help [Alyssa Thomas] win her first championship.’ That was the first thing that came to mind.”
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Next in line
With two open spots on the Mercury bench ahead of the 2026 season, Tibbetts could’ve gone a variety of different ways in choosing his final assistants. In the end, he chose Smith, who mirrored the prototype of Toliver as a former WNBA star, and Swirsky, whose path resembles Tibbetts’ own as a former G League head coach and NBA assistant.
In fact, Tibbetts and Swirsky’s paths crossed in the NBA when Swirsky worked as a video coordinator for a Portland staff that included Tibbetts as an assistant. After moving on to become an assistant for the Memphis Grizzlies, and later the head coach of the G League’s Memphis Hustle, Swirsky received the call to reunite with Tibbetts in Phoenix. Just like his mentor, it’s his first coaching opportunity in the women’s game.
“He’s done it all. Been in the video room, been an assistant,” Tibbetts said of Swirsky in his first media availability of training camp. “And then he’s also been a head coach in the G-League. I think that’s extremely important, just to feel that. I don’t care where you are as a head coach, if you feel the same things I feel, that’s very valuable.”
“I was like the lowest guy on the totem pole in Portland,” Swirsky told The IX Sports. “And one thing I remember about [Tibbetts] was how inclusive he was. He was very detailed and development-driven. He always took time to include me in drills or different workouts. In meetings, he would ask me questions I had no business answering. He was somebody that was just easy to connect with because he genuinely cared.”
Swirsky, whose primary role so far has been working with the Mercury’s guards, has said the adjustment has been smooth so far — albeit with some difficulty learning everybody’s names before camp started.
Both he and Tibbetts have pointed to their G League backgrounds as being valuable sources of preparation for the unpredictable nature of the professional game, particularly in a league like the WNBA, where roster overhaul and quick turnarounds often force coaches to adapt on the fly.
“In the G League, you get your roster maybe a week before the season starts,” Swirsky said. “You have to figure out training camp very quickly with the pieces you have — very similar to here, where you have people coming in and out from overseas. … More so for me specifically, just being a head coach, knowing how he’s probably feeling in some of these meetings, going into a game, after a game, just being able to be somebody that he could lean on or understand what’s going through his mind.”
Meanwhile, Smith’s experience as a former player further adds to the diverse range of backgrounds on the staff, helping to fill in gaps of knowledge that complement Tibbetts. She has been working closely with Phoenix’s bigs this season, playing a huge part in the growth of center Natasha Mack, while also aiming to get the most out of newcomers like Kyara Linskens.
In her 15-year WNBA career, Smith won two championships with the Mercury as a player in 2007 and 2009. She currently ranks sixth in franchise history in blocks, eighth in rebounds and 10th in points. This season in Phoenix marks her first as a coach in the WNBA, although she spent over a decade as one in college for Western Michigan and Northwestern.
“Tangela is someone I tried to get two years ago when I got the job,” Tibbetts said. “Any time you can have former players around and on your staff — they just got a great feel and sense of how this works — I’m excited to see what she can do with our bigs.”
Perhaps Tibbetts is trying to prepare Smith in a similar way he did Toliver, with both being veterans with a wealth of expertise in the game. That approach has already proven what it can unlock.
“It’s great to not be the only former player on the staff,” Toliver said. “She’s the type of coach and person that, when she walks in the building, it puts a smile on your face. … When I look over and see her arms wrapped around somebody, I know something meaningful and impactful is happening. That’s just the presence she has as a coach, and it was the same way when she was a player — very low-key, low-maintenance, knows her stuff, and somebody you can always go and talk to.”
“I think just based off experience — me playing a long time ago and winning those championships — I can just pour into the players that are already here, and just give them my experience,” Smith said during preseason. “But I think it’s very important just to have a winning mentality overall, and I think that this team has it already. For me, it’s just coming full circle, and to win another championship would be just great.”
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The first, and last, dance?
At its core, Phoenix’s coaching structure circles back to something more human than schematic. For all the talk of shared responsibilities, expanded roles and developmental opportunities, there’s something simpler driving it all: connection.
“Nate’s best quality is he’s a connector,” Vogel said. “He’s great with X’s and O’s; he’s great in everything related to basketball, but that’s not what makes him an elite coach. It’s that he connects everybody, and he has this genuine care factor that makes you believe in yourself.
“I got into coaching because I love the relationship part of it,” she added. “I love using the game to grow other people in their journey in life. Nate says it all the time, players want to know two things: Do they think that you care, and can they trust you? And the care factor has to be genuine.”
The standard has been set; now the job is to execute. With 40 games left in the regular season, followed by a potential playoff run, this may be the only time this specific staff gets to work together with so many assistants in line for a promotion. But regardless of the results, Tibbetts, in just his third season, has established a culture that may spread beyond Phoenix with the coaching tree he’s growing.
“One of the great things about this organization is just the overall vibes and how happy people are to show up to work,” Swirsky said. “Not just the coaching staff, but also the support staff, equipment staff, players, everyone. And it’s not like that everywhere. That starts with your head coach and your GM setting the tone for how they want things to look inside the building.”
A group shaped by varied paths, mutual trust and a shared understanding that leadership can exist with multiple voices at once has emerged in Phoenix, forming a structure that doesn’t just define who is in the room; it defines how the room itself operates — even if this is the only season it ever does so in this exact form.
