Examining Brian Agler's Ties To The Mercury

The Lynx are one of the Mercury's biggest rivals, and Agler coached them in their early years. Then, a few years later, he came to Phoenix, and he was a part of Carrie Graf's staff.

In 2005, he became an assistant for the San Antonio Silver Stars, and he became a head coach once again, as he coached the Seattle Storm. Then, he was with the Los Angeles Sparks and the Dallas Wings.

Agler wins a special award

Agler won two championships, and he did it with two different teams. He did it with the Storm in 2010, and he did it with the Sparks in 2016. Agler won Coach of the Year in 2010, and Anne Donovan and Julie Plank finished second and third, respectively.

Agler had some great years in the WNBA, and in between coaching Kansas State and starting his job with the Lynx, he was involved with another league. He coached the Columbus Quest of the American Basketball League (ABL). That league featured some talented players, and some of them made their way to the WNBA.

For example, Dawn Staley was there, and she played for the Charlotte Sting and the Houston Comets when she came to the WNBA. Yolanda Griffith was there, and she went on to win the WNBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 1999. She also became an All-Star and she won a championship. She played for the Sacramento Monarchs, and she spent a good portion of her career there. Then, players like Edna Campbell and Tonya Edwards were involved with the ABL.

The Quest won two championships, and interestingly enough, when Agler joined the Lynx, Edwards became the team's head coach. She was a player-coach, and when the league folded, she was drafted by the Lynx.

Edwards played well in her first season, and after that, she spent two seasons with the Mercury. She averaged 14.8 points in her rookie season, and in her first year with Phoenix, she averaged 10.6 points. Agler and Edwards are great examples of the connections people have to the Mercury, and they both contributed to the team's success in different ways.

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