On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Sparks announced that former Utah Utes head coach Lynne Roberts would be their 18th head coach, concluding what general manager Raegan Pebley referred to as a “global search.”
In Roberts’ introductory press conference on Thursday, Pebley sung Roberts’ praises, calling her a “smart basketball mind that saw the game in a forward-thinking way” and “transformational to not just an offense and a defense but to a community.” Pebley also complimented Roberts’ ability to develop her players: “[She’s] a developer of a program, a developer of people, a developer of skill. And when I say ‘develop,’ I mean more ‘nurturer,’ and that means you have to be a great leader.”
In Roberts’ tenure as Utah’s head coach, she saw immense success, particularly when it came to her teams’ offensive production. She has an analytical mind and dissected the game to home in on her best shots at winning.
Roberts credits former Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer for her “aha” moment when developing her offense. After a blowout by Stanford in 2020, Roberts asked herself how she could beat the Cardinal without a player like Cameron Brink, the former No. 2 overall draft pick who will now play for her in Los Angeles.
She determined she needed to change the race to win the race.
“What are the statistical things that really impact winning?” Roberts asked herself. She told reporters, “I nerded out and just kind of created a style from there. … [I] figured out how to change the race so it was one we could win.”
Her program’s style became 3-point shooting and paint points. Last season, her team ranked fourth in the country in 3-pointers made per game with 10.1. The Utes also scored 75.9 points per game and shot 56.3% from 2-point range, both of which ranked in the top 25 nationally.
Similarly, in 2022-23, Roberts’ team ranked third in the country at 82.3 points per game and fourth in 2-point field goal percentage at 56.9%. That’s indicative of her efficient offense and encouragement of what she calls “high-value shots.”
When asked how she wants to approach this focus in the professional ranks, Roberts said, “For me, everything with scoring comes down to points per shot attempt and points per possession.”
“Theoretically, [threes and shots at the rim] are the best shots if we’re talking about shot quality,” she continued. “It’s not a hard-line rule, though. My whole thing is predicated on shot quality and making sure players understand why it’s a good shot, why it’s not a good shot, but you have to tailor it to your personnel.”
Pebley added, “While analytics are part of her system and how she sees the game, it’s not what she leads with. She knows that this is really about people and about humans.”
Roberts repeatedly expressed excitement about connecting with the players and the group she inherits, specifically mentioning players such as Brink, Dearica Hamby, Azura Stevens and Rickea Jackson. “We’ve got an incredible core group,” she said. “We’ve got a cool combination of some veteran leadership — Dearica’s one, Azura’s one, Lexie [Brown] — and then a really dynamic young group in Rickea and Cam and Rae [Burrell] and Zia [Cooke]. That’s a good roster right there.”
The Sparks finished last in the WNBA in 2024, missed the playoffs for the fourth season in a row, and had the worst win-loss percentage in the organization’s history. But Roberts isn’t daunted by that.
“We’re going to do just fine,” she said. “We’re going to compete. I want to win now. I know that’s easier said than done, but I’m up for the challenge and I can’t wait to get started.”
That doesn’t mean she’s not feeling the pressure. “Nobody’s going to put as much pressure on me as I put on me,” she said. But she added, “As a competitor, as someone who thrives in pressure, being in this market, being in LA, it sounds like heaven to me.”
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Los Angeles has recently emerged as a center for women’s basketball. High-profile athletes like JuJu Watkins, Jazzy Davidson and Sienna Betts have made commitments to USC and UCLA, and both teams had tremendous final seasons in the Pac-12 in 2023-24. With sellouts at both Galen Center and Pauley Pavilion for the crosstown rivalry matchups last season and sellouts this weekend for both USC-Notre Dame and UCLA-South Carolina, attention in Los Angeles has shifted to women’s hoops.
When asked about the women’s basketball success bursting in the area, Roberts said, “LA is where it’s at. I want to be at the top of that pyramid with the Sparks.” She added, “I want to be the premier market in the WNBA.”
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Roberts has strong relationships with both UCLA head coach Cori Close and USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb from her time in the Pac-12. Pebley said that was key to her selection:
“We’re bringing someone into this role that had relationships. This is a community of women’s basketball and, quite frankly, women’s athletics. And we are partners in that community. Not just business partners, but also thought partners. And that was intentional on our part.”
While Roberts recognizes the uphill battle she’ll face when it comes to playoff contention and the win-loss column this year, she repeatedly expressed hope. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think we had a really strong roster in place and the opportunity to bring in a couple pieces where that’s realistic,” she said. She also acknowledged she’ll have some learning ahead of her as a first-time professional head coach, but she is confident that she can succeed.
And when asked why she’s making the switch to coach pros now, she flipped the question around: “In the WNBA, it’s a great time. I’ve been asked, ‘Why are you doing this?’ But why wouldn’t I do this?’”
