After winning two California high school girls basketball state titles and five section titles at
Windward (Los Angeles) since 2012, head coach Vanessa Nygaard is making the jump to the WNBA.
The Phoenix Mercury announced Nygaard's hiring Monday. While it may seem a bit unconventional to pluck a coach from the high school level to lead a professional franchise, she has experience at every level of the game.
As a player, Nygaard played in three Final Fours at Stanford and spent six years in the WNBA in addition to professional stints in Germany, Italy and Spain.
Transitioning to the bench, Nygaard has spent time as an assistant coach at the college level, in the WNBA and with USA Basketball.
Nygaard went 32-1 in her first season at Windward in 2012-13, falling in the Open Division state championship game to Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland). Under her direction, the Wildcats won 20 games or more in each of her first eight seasons, winning back-to-back state titles in 2017 and 2018.
The job Nygaard is stepping into is an attractive one with established WNBA stars Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins-Smith. The Mercury reached the finals for the fifth time in franchise history last season.
Vanessa Nygaard on the sideline during the 2020 Southern California regional final.
Photo by Justin Fine
