Brian Agler

Last updated
Brian Agler
Brian Agler (cropped).jpg
Agler in 2019
Personal information
Born (1958-08-02) August 2, 1958 (age 65)
NationalityAmerican
Career information
High school Elgin (Marion, Ohio)
College Wittenberg (1976–1980)
Position Head coach
Coaching career1988–present
Career history
As coach:
1988–1993 UMKC
1993–1996 Kansas State
1996–1998 Columbus Quest
19992002 Minnesota Lynx
2004 Phoenix Mercury (assistant)
20052007 San Antonio Silver Stars (assistant)
20082014 Seattle Storm
20152018 Los Angeles Sparks
20192020 Dallas Wings
Career highlights and awards
As player

As coach

Stats at WNBA.com

Brian Agler (born August 2, 1958) [1] is an American college athletics administrator and former women's basketball coach. He is the athletic director at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, a position he has held since 2021. Agler served as head coach of the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 2019 to 2020. He had previously been head coach of the Seattle Storm and the Los Angeles Sparks, each of whom he led to a WNBA championship, in 2010 and 2016, respectively. During his coaching career, Agler has guided young stars like Candace Parker, Nneka Ogwumike, Alana Beard, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Tayler Hill, Liz Cambage, Megan Gustafson, and Arike Ogunbowale.

Contents

Early years

Agler attended college at Wittenberg University in Ohio, where he cheered on the Tigers win the 1977 Division III NCAA Championship as a point guard. He graduated in 1980. He received his master's degree in education from Pittsburg State University in 1985.

Coaching career

College

Kansas State

Agler became the head coach of the Kansas State women's basketball team in 1993. He was suspended in the middle of his third season (1995–1996), pending an NCAA rules violation investigation. [2] Kansas State under Agler was 13–14 his first season (1993–1994), 14–13 his second season, and 11–12 for the 23 games he coached in his final season. [2]

American Basketball League (ABL)

Columbus Quest

As head coach of the Columbus Quest of the American Basketball League, Agler led the team to a combined 82–22 record and two ABL Championships. He was named ABL Coach of the Year in 1997.

Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)

Minnesota Lynx

After the ABL collapsed in late 1998, Agler made the shift to the WNBA. He became the first head coach of the Minnesota Lynx, piloting them to a 48–67 record from 1999–2002.

Assistant coaching stints

He served as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Mercury in the 2004 season, then with the San Antonio Silver Stars from 2005 to 2007.

Seattle Storm

The Seattle Storm named Agler head coach on January 9, 2008. He succeeded Anne Donovan. who resigned in November 2007. Agler was the general manager and head coach for the Seattle Storm until 2014, leading them to their second championship in 2010. [3]

Los Angeles Sparks

On January 5, 2015, it was announced that Agler would become the head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks.

Agler guided the 2015 version of the Sparks to a 14–20 record and a 4th-place finish in the WNBA's Western Conference.

On October 20, 2016, Agler guided the Sparks to their third WNBA championship, defeating the Lynx, 77–76, in the decisive Game 5 of the 2016 WNBA Finals, thereby winning the league championship series, 3–2. He became the first head coach to win WNBA titles with two teams.

On November 1, 2018, Agler resigned from his position as the Sparks coach. [4]

Dallas Wings

On December 17, 2018, Agler was hired as the head coach of the Dallas Wings. [5]

On October 14, 2020, the Dallas Wings announced that the organization had parted ways with Agler. [6]

Family

Agler's son, Bryce, was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Sparks during Agler's tenure as head coach of the franchise. [7]

Head coaching record

Legend
Regular seasonGGames coachedWGames wonLGames lostW–L %Win–loss %
PlayoffsPGPlayoff gamesPWPlayoff winsPLPlayoff lossesPW–L %Playoff win–loss %
TeamYearGWLW–L%FinishPGPWPLPW–L%Result
MIN 1999 321517.4694th in West----Missed Playoffs
MIN 2000 321517.4696th in West----Missed Playoffs
MIN 2001 321220.3756th in West----Missed Playoffs
MIN 2002 19613.3168th in West----Fired Mid-Season
SEA 2008 342212.6472nd in West312.333Lost in Western Conference Semi-Finals
SEA 2009 342014.5882nd in West312.333Lost in Western Conference Semi-Finals
SEA 2010 34286.8241st in West7701.000Won WNBA Finals
SEA 2011 342113.6182nd in West312.333Lost in Western Conference Semi-Finals
SEA 2012 341618.4714th in West312.333Lost in Western Conference Semi-Finals
SEA 2013 341717.5004th in West202.000Lost in Western Conference Semi-Finals
SEA 2014 341222.3535th in West----Missed Playoffs
LA 2015 341420.4124th in West312.333Lost in Western Conference Semi-Finals
LA 2016 34268.7652nd in West963.667Won WNBA Finals
LA 2017 34268.7652nd in West853.625Lost in WNBA Finals
LA 2018 341915.5593rd in West211.500Lost in Western Conference Semi-Finals
DAL 2019 341024.2945th in West----Missed Playoffs
DAL 2020 22814.3646th in West----Missed Playoffs
Career545287258.527432419.558

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References

  1. "Women's Basketball Coaches Career". NCAA. Retrieved 22 Sep 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Kansas State Women's Coach Suspended". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. February 10, 1996. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  3. Voepel, Mechelle (16 September 2010). "Second title even sweeter for Storm". ESPN. Archived from the original on 20 September 2010. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  4. Voepele, Mechelle (November 30, 2018). "Brian Agler resigns as Sparks coach". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  5. "Brian Agler to be next coach of Dallas Wings". ESPN. Associated Press. December 17, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  6. "Dallas Wings And Head Coach Brian Agler Mutually Agree To Part Ways". wnba.com. The WNBA. October 14, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  7. "2018 Sparks Roster Released".