Phoenix has top coach, defensive player
Phoenix’s Sandy Brondello is the WNBA’s coach of the year and Mercury center Brittney Griner is the defensive player of the year, said a person close to the situation.
The pair will receive their awards Friday night in Phoenix before the Mercury host Los Angeles in the Western Conference semifinals opener, the person told The Associated Press late Thursday night, speaking on condition of anonymity because no official announcement has been made.
Brondello guided the Mercury to a 29-5 record in her first season in charge. Phoenix won 16 straight games during the season, the second most in WNBA history, just short of the Sparks’ record of 18 consecutive victories.
When asked earlier Thursday about potentially winning the award, Brondello said: “It would be a great honor, and I’ve been appreciative of the opportunity to coach in this league. It’s more of a team award and I have some great players around me.”
She received 33 of the 38 votes with Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve and Washington’s Mike Thibault each getting two, the person said. Atlanta’s Michael Cooper got the other vote.
Phelps advances in 100 at Pan Pacific
GOLD COAST, Australia — It was raining for Michael Phelps’ return to international competition. And it was anything but boring.
The 18-time Olympic gold medalist advanced to the 100-meter freestyle final at the Pan Pacific championships on Friday, with his time of 48.45 seconds ranking him third overall in the preliminaries and second quickest among the 12 Americans. His U.S. teammate Nathan Adrian set a meet record 48.05 to lead qualifying, edging Australia’s two-time world champion James Magnussen in the same heat — the pair finished first and second at the London Olympics.
For Phelps, it was a step toward the 2015 world championships only four months back into competitive swimming after a short-lived retirement following the 2012 Olympics.
By wire sources