Why Becky Hammon Should Have Been Named WNBA Coach of the Year
The Las Vegas Aces are racking up the hardware, which includes DPOY, MVP, and even the most improved player. A’ja Wilson took home Defensive Player of the Year and MVP for her stellar performance this year, while Jackie Young won Most Improved Player. One very important person is being left empty-handed this season, however.
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This is Becky Hammon, who has just led the Aces to a league-best 34-6 record. She accomplished all this with two of her best players on the bench. Hammon has even maintained an undefeated streak so far in this year's playoffs, showing just how good of a coach she can be.
Liberty Head Coach Stephanie White is the 2023 Coach of the Year despite a 27-13 record and a few haunting losses. Her team isn’t on the same level as the Aces, which makes White receiving the honor a little surprising.
Related: 5 Las Vegas Athletes that aren't living up to the hype
There are two problems with the decision to give White Coach of the Year. First, her stats are nowhere near what Hammon has done with the Aces in her very short time with the team. The Aces started the regular season undefeated, won a multitude of games in blowout fashion, and are undefeated so far in the playoffs.
The second problem is that it looks like the WNBA wants to play politics. Hammon served a two-game suspension this season after player controversy.
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Dearica Hamby leveled some pretty serious allegations at the Aces, including under-the-table payments. However, the incident shouldn’t play a factor in the decision of who to award Coach of the Year, and it looks like it did. There is just no other reason why White would be chosen over Hammon with their respective records. Hammon has done so much more this season, which is why she should be holding that award.
Now, this doesn’t mean the Dearica Hamby incident isn’t a big deal. Or that Hamby shouldn't have made those comments about her former team. The issue is whether this should have disqualified Hammon for Coach of the Year.
Hammon already served her two-game suspension and apologized for her actions. That should have been enough for everyone. Instead, the league wants to throw her into the shadows so they don’t suffer a PR nightmare.
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Source. YouTube[/caption]
Another problem is that Hammon already learned her lesson from the Hamby drama. She took the steps to do better and honored her two-game suspension. The second-year head coach also made the difficult decision to suspend one of her best players, Riquina Williams, after Williams was charged with domestic violence.
And even now that the charges have been dropped, Hammon is still upholding the suspension. Keep in mind that Williams is one of the best players on the team and also won Finals MVP honors for her performance. Hammon suspending her from the playoffs was an integrity call, and it should have been noticed.
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The Suns making the playoffs is no easy feat, and White has put them in a great position for a postseason run. She deserves credit for these accomplishments. However, her accomplishments pale in comparison to Hammon's.
Hammon is the one who brought her team to a league-breaking 34-6 record and helped them qualify for the Commissioners Cup. Hammon coached the team to a seven-game winning streak. If fans take the time to break down the stats, I think we all know who really deserved Coach of the Year.
Next: Ultimate guide for Las Vegas sports fans!
Becky Hammon gets robbed of Coach of the Year
[caption id="attachment_39013" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Source. YouTube[/caption]This is Becky Hammon, who has just led the Aces to a league-best 34-6 record. She accomplished all this with two of her best players on the bench. Hammon has even maintained an undefeated streak so far in this year's playoffs, showing just how good of a coach she can be.
Liberty Head Coach Stephanie White is the 2023 Coach of the Year despite a 27-13 record and a few haunting losses. Her team isn’t on the same level as the Aces, which makes White receiving the honor a little surprising.
Related: 5 Las Vegas Athletes that aren't living up to the hype
Why that's a problem
There are two problems with the decision to give White Coach of the Year. First, her stats are nowhere near what Hammon has done with the Aces in her very short time with the team. The Aces started the regular season undefeated, won a multitude of games in blowout fashion, and are undefeated so far in the playoffs.
The second problem is that it looks like the WNBA wants to play politics. Hammon served a two-game suspension this season after player controversy.
Did the Dearica Hamby incident play a factor?
[caption id="attachment_39016" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Source. YouTube[/caption]Dearica Hamby leveled some pretty serious allegations at the Aces, including under-the-table payments. However, the incident shouldn’t play a factor in the decision of who to award Coach of the Year, and it looks like it did. There is just no other reason why White would be chosen over Hammon with their respective records. Hammon has done so much more this season, which is why she should be holding that award.
Now, this doesn’t mean the Dearica Hamby incident isn’t a big deal. Or that Hamby shouldn't have made those comments about her former team. The issue is whether this should have disqualified Hammon for Coach of the Year.
Hammon already served her two-game suspension and apologized for her actions. That should have been enough for everyone. Instead, the league wants to throw her into the shadows so they don’t suffer a PR nightmare.
Becky Hammon redeemed herself during the Riquina Williams situation
[caption id="attachment_39015" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Source. YouTube[/caption]Another problem is that Hammon already learned her lesson from the Hamby drama. She took the steps to do better and honored her two-game suspension. The second-year head coach also made the difficult decision to suspend one of her best players, Riquina Williams, after Williams was charged with domestic violence.
And even now that the charges have been dropped, Hammon is still upholding the suspension. Keep in mind that Williams is one of the best players on the team and also won Finals MVP honors for her performance. Hammon suspending her from the playoffs was an integrity call, and it should have been noticed.
Stephanie Whtie vs. Becky Hammon: Who really deserved Coach of the Year
[caption id="attachment_39014" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Source. YouTube[/caption]The Suns making the playoffs is no easy feat, and White has put them in a great position for a postseason run. She deserves credit for these accomplishments. However, her accomplishments pale in comparison to Hammon's.
Hammon is the one who brought her team to a league-breaking 34-6 record and helped them qualify for the Commissioners Cup. Hammon coached the team to a seven-game winning streak. If fans take the time to break down the stats, I think we all know who really deserved Coach of the Year.
Next: Ultimate guide for Las Vegas sports fans!