The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - GOOD FOLLOW - Sandy Brondello Fired From New York, Zero Black Women Headcoaches In The W, A’ja’s 4th MVP & More!

Episode Date: September 23, 2025

Today on Good Follow: Ros Gold-Onwude and Angel McCoughtry discuss the shocking news of Sandy Brondello’s release from the New York Liberty as head coach. Next, they break down the significance of Noelle Quinn’s release from the Seattle Storm. What does it mean for the WNBA now that no black women are holding the head coach position in a league with 80% black women as players? Then, A’ja Wilson wins her 4th MVP in 8 seasons! Are audiences getting A’ja-fatigue? How do we stay present watching A’ja’s dominance? Finally, Ros gives us her DraftKings Pick of the Week.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox is an eight-episode Hulu original limited series that blends gripping pacing with emotional complexity, offering a dramatized look as it revisits the wrongful conviction of Amanda Knox for the tragic murder of Meredith Kircher and the relentless media storm that followed. The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox is now streaming only on Disney Plus. Navigate the gauntlet of uncertainty the world throws at your business. with SAP. Whether it's a tropical storm hitting your warehouse or a short supply of those little plastic twist ties, SAP can help you tackle those unexpected crushing setbacks with its

AI powered capabilities to pivot to new suppliers, automate paperwork, and source the twist ties you need at the price you want, so your business can stay unstoppable. Learn more at sap.com slash uncertainty. You're listening to Draft Kings Network. Hey, what's up, everyone. Hey, what's up, everyone? Welcome to Good Follow, presented by Draft Kings. I'm Ros Gold on Wode, and And that is five-time WNBA All-Star, Angel McCartrey. Angel, what's good, girl?

I'm in the New York City studios. You coming to us from the L.A. studios? I mean, hey, we halfway across the world, Roz, but we're getting it done. We're getting it done coast to coast. Coast to coast. Because this show never stops. Basketball never stops. Sports never stops.

So we're bringing you the coverage. Here is the menu we have for you today on this episode of Good Follow. Breaking News. head coach Sandy Brandello is out in New York for the Liberty. And there's no black female head coaches left in the WNBA. Asia Wilson, four-time WMBA MVP now. Is her excellence causing apathy and fatigue? Man, what a show we have today?

But you guys can catch good follow? Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please like, comment, and subscribe. Thank you guys for having me. Thank you. Angel, absolutely. Let's do this. Let's do it. You nailed it. All right, here we go. Breaking news out of New York. Sandy Brandello is out for the Liberty, shocking

for a lot of people. She is only one year removed from winning the championship with New York. The press release coming out of New York noted that. They said thank you to the winningest head coach in the history of the New York Liberty, bringing them a championship and wish her well angel wow well ross you've covered the liberty all season so i'm really anxious to know like what do you think of all of this i think first and foremost sandy brundello is deserving of thank you's flowers respect um and you know the tone of the goodbye from the liberty delivered that but i also saw from from fans from media members you know even if you think about the reaction from players like there is a lot of love for what sandy did for the new york liberty and i too hold

that for sandy brundello this is the winningest coach in liberty franchise history it took the liberty 28 years the entire existence of the w nba to get their first ever championship they had been close other times but sandy got them over the hump um it's their only chip you look at the last three seasons for Sandy Brondello. 2003, she made the finals. They fell short. The very next season, they run it back, make the finals again, they win the chip. This season, they fall short. They lose in the first round.

You know, look, she also had a season this year, and I've been there covering the team all season, riddled with injuries to literally starters, star players, did not have the roster, continuity, consistency, fatigue, lack of practice, really practice time for the team to be able to be coached, tough scheduling. And I do think the injuries were really significant and, you know, still trying to overcome that. So I think there were real reasons why the Liberty fell short this season that were largely outside of their control. and that Sandy has very commendable achievements and admirable achievements for the franchise. I just, yeah, from hearing all that,

I just want to know how that justifies a fire. Because I feel like do we think that it's supposed to be a fairy tale season every season, Roz? Like, because you have some great points there. If I'm here to put on a hat of objectively looking at why this may have happened, and again, this is breaking news that just happened honestly minutes ago,

there could be signals, right? So some missteps that Sandy had this season, you know, given the talent, the team often had effort and urgency issues this season. And it was very public, discussed by the coach and the players publicly this season. There were multiple times they did not come ready to play. There were some really bad head scratching losses. And perhaps, you know, brass and the executives upstairs thought it showed a lack of preparedness for a team with that much talent. another misstep during the playoffs there was critique that there were very few rotations in the playoffs

in these games the starters did not have it at times and those starters raised their hand and said I was not my best and in many ways it seemed that coach Brandello was was you know going to live or die with them versus going deeper into her bench and for some people you know those rotations or lack of may have been a head scratcher For me, those are smaller things. I think the bigger message that we're getting from the Liberty is that, and this is from

the, like, Liberty Organization and Franchise, all those people up at the top, the message is that a first round exit is not the standard. It will not cut it. And not with all that talent on the roster, not with all of those finals MVPs on the roster. Liberty played with three finals MVP's, not with the investment of an $80 million practice facility coming. Not with the pressure of rising ticket prices that their fan base has been very vocal about and the disappointment of that. It signals to me that the Liberty are highly competitive and they're willing to be really bold right now. And perhaps as a sign of accountability

to themselves, to the fan base, to New York. And that they're saying right now that first round exit, not the standard, the only standard is championship. The other thing I would add, too, is that the Liberty job is high profile. You know, that's a shiny job. Yeah. The next coach for the Liberty could honestly be anyone. It could be a woman's coach. It could be a men's coach.

It could be a splashy, big-name celebrity that they could support with a lot of basketball minds. In fact, my first question is when you got a coach who just is your winningest coach of all time, has made the finals, you know, for two years in a row this year fell short. And then, you know, one of you first ever championship, do you fire her and probably already know who's next, you know, or I'd have to imagine that the Liberty would just be, I'd be surprised to see if the Liberty were just roaming into the abyss without some kind of plan. And I think it's really important for them to have an answer and a plan shown sooner than later because you're heading into the free agency class of 2026. There's going to be a lot of movement. Everybody's a free agent. You want to signal right away with. the direction of the New York Liberty is going to be. So I expect that they'll do that sooner than later, Angel. Yeah, that's a lot of pressure to live up to. So you kind of have to go into the abyss kind of knowing which direction you do want to go because then you hire somebody and then the same thing happens next year. It makes you look a little crazy, right? That you fire the winning as coach and then the grass ain't greener on the other side always. And like you said,

with sports, it's just not realistic all the time. You're not always on top. There's not always this fairy tail ending, right? But we are champions. This coach did take them to win a championship for the first time in franchise history. So you always do have to remember that. And I hope that she gets her due respect for that. And what about from a player perspective? Like it kind of seemed that the players really were first raising their hands and say, look at us. We didn't do what we needed to do. And Sandy had overcome a lot of injuries. And they were riding and dying for their coach that won, that they won a championship with last season. Let's, let's play this clip from an interview that went viral.

What would you say to those who question whether Sandy should be here next year to coach you guys again? What, though? You know, first of all, you know, what do you make of Stewie's response there as a player, former player yourself? I would have said the same response, like, what the, beep? because what are you asking my coach who I'm playing hard for who is still the champion during that time

right now they're still the champions even with Coach Sandy being fired so am I going to ask you hey you're not that good of a reporter should you still keep your job like we don't do that so there needs to be a standard of respect for these coaches especially the winning his coaches is winning his coach in that franchise and I like Stewie's response that she was taking up for her coach because it was just inappropriate and it was rude Your season, your shot.

The NFL is rolling and every touchdown brings you closer to a payout with Draft King Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NFL. From first T-D scores to live-in-game bets, every snap is a chance to win. New customers, this one is just for you. Download the Draft King Sportsbook app and use code GoodFollow. That's code GoodFollow to get $200 in bonus bets instantly when you place your first $5.

bet plus over $200 off NFL Sunday ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV. In partnership with Draft Kings, the crown is yours. Gambling problem, call 1-800 gambler. In New York, call 877-8-8-8-Hop-N-Y or text Hope & Y 467-367-369. In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-78-9-77- or visit ccpG.org. Please play responsibly. On behalf of Boothill Casino and Resort in Kansas, fees may apply in Illinois. 21 and over. Agent eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. Bonus bets expires seven days after issuance. See Sportsbook.draftkings.com slash promos.

NFL Sunday ticket offer for new subscribers only in auto renews until canceled. Digital games and commercial use excluded. Restrictions apply. Additional NFL Sunday ticket terms at YouTube.com slash go slash NFL Sunday ticket slash terms. Limited time offer. With Amex Platinum, access to exclusive

Amex pre-sale tickets can score you as our track side. So being a fan for life turns into the trip of a lifetime. That's the powerful backing of Amex. Pre-sale tickets for future events subject to availability and varied by race.

Terms and conditions apply. Learn more at mx.ca. slash Yanex. Yeah, and that was my first knee-jerk reaction was this is rude, the question. It was immediately after the Liberty had lost.

The Liberty were not having exit interviews and she knew that. And so without that transparency or without that moment at the end of the season, it puts you in an awkward position where reporters are out there like hungry trying to get

any, the last bits of info they can get before they don't see you anymore. And it happened after a really tough loss and awkward moment there. So I think that the fact that there was no exit interview created a situation where she had to throw that question in there. And actually, maybe she knew more than we did. She said, you know, that some people think that Sandy shouldn't be here next season. Turns out some people were the people at the top of the liberty chain here.

And Sandy was on her way out. And it seemed like nobody, including the players, saw that coming at that moment. Let's move along because we have more in coaching news. Sandy was not the only coach that was let go in this postseason. The Seattle Storm announced that they will not be renewing Noel Quinn's contract for next season. And what that means is in a league made up of 80% black women, there are no more black women head coaches. In fact, there's actually only two black coaches left, but there are no black women.

this is a league of 80% black women, and there's no representation of that. So, Angel, coming to you first, what does it mean to you now that that doesn't exist? There's no black woman head coaches in the league. It's disappointing. Like, where are my black female head coaches at? Stand up.

Now, we have new teams coming next year, right? Portland, Toronto. That doesn't mean we have to put the pressure on those teams to hire a female black head coach. But hey, if the shoe fits. Now, I have a list right here sitting beside me, Roz, of black head woman coaches that I think will be really good. Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper, Carolyn Peck, Brienne January, Marissa Coleman, Courtney Paris, Ebony Hoffman. And I even have a bonus, Lindsay Whalen, because she's always invited to the cookout.

Okay? I just named tons of qualified black woman head coaches who can do some. some damage in this league. What is going on here? I have questions. What is the standard? Why is it so hard for black female head coaches? I have those questions. You look at Chicago, right? The season that Teresa Willispoon had, it was better than the season now. And if your franchise player loved you, Andrew Reese loved her. Why are you getting rid of these coaches? I'm just confused. I don't have the answer. Those are very valid questions, Angel. And so actually, On Good Follow show, we interviewed both Lisa Leslie and Teresa Weatherspoon about these topics.

I do want to go to clips from interviews coming from our very show. I sat down with these two legends and hear what they had to say on the topic. You know, for the black women in coaching, the lack of grace that we get in these spaces is just sad. And I feel like I'm not ever sure that we were ever going to know what happened with Teresa Weatherspoon and Chicago's guide, but the fact that she didn't have, she was not given any grace to let's communicate, let's sit down and let's have the pros and cons about what we like for what you're doing and what we don't like. Let's try to change some of these things. Give her the opportunity to make adjustments as a coach, but she didn't get that. You know, I'm the first one to

say I was shocked, surprise, hurt. I was all of those things because I didn't see it coming. Didn't see it coming at all. So I chose just to be. quiet. I chose to be silent. I chose to move in my direction and not anyone else's direction. I chose not to speak the way I was spoken about. I chose not to do that. And there's a reason that I choose to be the way that I am because that's my peace. Wow. Actually, I'm actually getting emotional, man. Like, I need a tissue because just hearing that, I'm just blank. actually when I did the interview with Spoon, we both were tearing up in that interview

because there is a shared experience, right? It's not just for coaches. You know, black women get an opportunity. And it's not just like, oh, why aren't the black women getting the opportunity? It's also when they do get the opportunity, what is the nurturing of that black woman in that role when she has the opportunity.

You know, when, when this black woman has this seat as head coach, for me, is it she being supported and giving the chance to implement her system? Is she being given feedback and is her vision and voice being supported? Or is she working within an organization where she's facing opposition? Can you imagine? How can you succeed when you're not getting wind beneath your wings? or when you have to go when it's opposition you're trying to implement

I just want to make sure too that the bar doesn't get changed when we're talking about black women holding that seat and I do think that happened the bar got changed when Teresa in the situation of the Chicago sky and I want to bring this up this isn't about me coming for

this is not about coming for Tyler Marsh's head this is about the Sky franchise this has nothing to do with him specifically but you know look Spoon was hired by the, by the Chicago Sky, October 12, 2023. She was fired September 26, 2024. That was less than a year. And if you actually look at WNBA seasons and like when she actually had time with the team,

she had about six months with the franchise and with the players. It's not, it's a sign of a turbulent organization. If you fire a coach after six months, you never gave them a real chance. And, you know, in our conversation with Spoon as we pull, played, it's very clear she wasn't given feedback. She, like, what kind of healthy leadership is that? And you'll see that too, because in the Sky franchise, since they won that championship in 2021, they've had four coaches.

So that's four coaches in four years. That's just a lot of turnover. Okay, the bar changed, though, because Spoon finished 13 and 27. And even still, she had the support of franchise players. Angel Reese, other players were vocal about her. this season's team of the sky led by Tyler Marsh finished even worse 10 and 34 they tied for last in the season the results were worse they also missed the playoffs and obviously at the end of the season there was a lot of dysfunction it was very clear that there's a lot of mess happening in the sky so why was 13 and 27 for spoon not acceptable but 10 and 34 for another coach is is. Why did the bar change? And I feel that that has to be called out. Why wasn't Spoon given a second season of continuity to implement and grow her system? According to reports

and Annie Constable, we heard the Chicago Sky are not planning to terminate Tyler Marsh. He will continue on. So the bar has changed. And for me, I just think we've got to keep an eye on that and call that out. Yeah, I agree with you. Like the bar has to be set and I'm glad it's being called out. I'm glad that players are opening their mouths. We need more of our women allies to help us fight for this because there is something going on when it comes to black women and just believing in what they can do. Like you said, she didn't get any feedback and she's just fired. Like you said, give her the feedback. Give her the things that you want her to do. Let her. And that reminds me too of being a player like as a player

if a coach doesn't tell you what they want from you and they just sit you on the bench you feel like you're on your own island that's why I'm tearing up because it reminds me of those times where you just feel like who's out here helping me

I'm on my own island but I'm trying to do the best work but you're not giving me feedback on what you want me to do so I can go out there and do what I need to do for you and as an organization

so that's the same thing as a coach give these women the feedback they need let them know how you want me to do this do you want me to dress different Do you want me to look different? What? Give me feedback so then I know what to do.

So we're on the same page. Don't just fire me and I had a better season. So it's a lot going on there. And we need some questions and answers. So those people who are firing or don't want to hire black woman coaches, give us the feedback. Let us know what you want. So we know that we're not out here in limbo. That's the challenge I'm putting out there.

That's real. and I think it's not just like can we can there are deserving candidates that could take these seats but also what does it look like once they have the seat because sometimes the support sometimes the evaluation the way we discuss black women changes from car counterparts and we have to be protective of that so yes I understand that the ultimate goal is winning but it is something to discuss It is eye-opening that this happens in the league. There's no black women head coaches. The league is made of mostly black women. Coming up, we discuss Asia Wilson's fourth MVP award and we make our draft kings pick of the week. During the Volvo Fall Experience event,

discover exceptional offers and thoughtful design that leaves plenty of room for autumn. adventures and see for yourself how Volvo's legendary safety brings peace of mind to every crisp morning commute this September lease a 2026 xe 90 plug-in hybrid from $599 biweekly at 3.99% during the Volvo fall experience event condition supply visit your local Volvo retailer or go to explore Volvo.com did you lock the front door check close the garage door yep installed windows sensors, smoke sensors, and HD cameras with night vision? No.

And you set up credit card transaction alerts, a secure VPN for a private connection, and continuous monitoring for our personal info on the dark web? Uh, I'm looking into it. Stress less about security. Choose security solutions from TELUS for peace of mind at home and online. Visit tellus.com slash total security to learn more. Conditions apply. Okay, y'all, welcome back to Goodfollow.

This episode is presented by Draft Kings. Angel, we've got some news in the award season. This weekend, Asia Wilson made history as the first ever four-time WNBA MVP. And mind you, the race was not even close. So Asia had 51 first place votes, and that's out of 72 total voters. So that's about 71. percent of the voters voted for her in first place for MVP. After that, it was fee with 18 votes, Alyssa Thomas next with three. So this was actually a landslide for Asia as the MVP. This is

back to back for her. And this season, she was also the co-defensive player of the year. So dominance, but despite all of that dominance, we do hear from Becky Hammond, from fan bases, from teammates, for media even, that in some ways, Asia still gets counted out or slept on or perhaps are we having a growing apathy or just fatigue of her excellence that's starting to grow, Angel? I can see a little bit of that. You know, don't have greatness fatigue, guys. If a person is great, they're great. You don't know that background story, what it took for them to get there. It was a point where Asia and her team, they weren't making the playoffs. I told you the story. And now she's winning and she's just great.

So let's just enjoy the greatness while we have it. Because you never know how long we have it for. Yes, that's my thing. Are we just savoring this enough? We're literally talking about we get to watch somebody in the middle of their prime that already is putting a resume together that could be untouchable as the goat. Not like one of the goats. Like could be is on her way to being the goat.

This is all the categories that she was like first and second in and third. Third, 23 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks, three assists, 1.6 steals. It was on both ends. But also 50% from the field, 42% from three. Not that she takes that many, but she has that percentage. She shot 85% from the free throw line. So Asia nearly also had a 50, 40, 90 season, just like Fee did. She had a 50, 40, something, and 85 season.

Like, she wasn't that far off. And then, look, if you look at the body of work now, we're starting to, put together. Four MVPs, three defensive player of the years, two WNBA titles, two Olympic gold medals, one Olympic MVP, seven WMA All-Stars. She's won in college. She's won the player of the year there. She's not even 30. She's 29. Like, there's room for her to continue to do this. And you could even argue that she could have five MVPs because that one race in 2023 was super tight where Stewie came away with it. But for me, I'm looking at Asia and I just see a full package where her game does all the talking.

Like we ain't talking about no, if we put frills to the side, like the game, the body of work does the talking. And then if you add the extras, look at how her teammates and her coach wrote notes for her. Everybody's crying over Asia. Every season, the aces are crying, you know, because they love this girl so much. I find her to be very approachable, fun, fashionable. You know, she's got her family.

she's got her man, she's got her sneaker and her shoes, she's got a statue, she's got her books, she's got her candles. Remember the candles? I just feel like Asia handles her business, you know, on and off the court. And this season, we saw her in the face of adversity. It was crappy for the Aces. And she stepped up to the challenge. She continued to lead and then drag this team with her to the top and to an MVP landslide. I just think, I'm really impressed by her. And I think while there is noise for sure for Asia, I think there could be even more. I agree with you. Let's make some noise for Asia, y'all. Let's not take it for granted. Like she's coachable, approachable. She's just lovable. Let's love on her. And let's make

more noise for this. And let's not get tired of greatness. Right. And when you were her teammate, what did you see in her like habits that showed you greatness? She was quiet during that time because I came years ago when she was a little younger and they hadn't won it yet. She was ready to burst out to be a great leader and she was just ready to learn. And she just had it. I just saw her absorbing, absorbing it, absorbing it, absorbing

and learning what greatness was like. And now it's just exudes and it's just beautiful to see. Yeah. No, we have a lot of excellence to enjoy y'all. Make sure you are staying present for it. All right, now we got to get to our Draft Kings pick of the week. This week, I have my eye on game two of the fever Aces series. My biggest question is, can the Aces bounce back?

I'll be looking at four-time MVP and co-defensive player of the year. Asia Wilson put a big game together on both ends. Quite simply, the Aces go as Asia goes. On the fever, Kelsey Mitchell is on a heater. She scored a record 34 points against the Aces in game one. I think ultimately the Aces will be at home. They'll tie up this series before heading to Indy. This segment is presented by Draft Kings.

Draft Kings, the crown is yours. And for all of you watching at home, the crown is yours as well. Thank you for pulling up to Good Follow, presented by Draft Kings. Hey, make sure you tune into the Thursday episode as well. We have a very special guest interview coming up. For Angel, I'm Roz. We're out. You know what I'm going to be.