Brian Agler

Brian Agler (born August 2, 1958)[1] is an American women's professional basketball coach. He previously coached the Dallas Wings from 2019 to 2020. He also had previously been head coach of the Seattle Storm and the Los Angeles Sparks, each of whom he led to a 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.

Brian Agler
Agler in 2019
Personal information
Born (1958-08-02) August 2, 1958
NationalityAmerican
Career information
High schoolElgin (Marion, Ohio)
CollegeWittenberg (1976–1980)
PositionHead coach
Coaching career1993–present
Career history
As coach:
1993–1996Kansas State
1996–1998Columbus Quest
1999–2002Minnesota Lynx
2004Phoenix Mercury (assistant)
2005–2007San Antonio Silver Stars (assistant)
2008–2014Seattle Storm
2015–2018Los Angeles Sparks
2019–2020Dallas Wings
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com

Early years

Agler attended college at Wittenberg University in Ohio, where he helped 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

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]

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.

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]

Coaching record
Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–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 West312.333 Lost in Western Conference Semi-Finals
SEA 2009 342014.5882nd in West312.333 Lost in Western Conference Semi-Finals
SEA 2010 34286.8241st in West7701.000 Won WNBA Finals
SEA 2011 342113.6182nd in West312.333 Lost in Western Conference Semi-Finals
SEA 2012 341618.4714th in West312.333 Lost in Western Conference Semi-Finals
SEA 2013 341717.5004th in West202.000 Lost in Western Conference Semi-Finals
SEA 2014 341222.3535th in West---- Missed Playoffs
LA 2015 341420.4124th in West312.333 Lost in Western Conference Semi-Finals
LA 2016 34268.7652nd in West963.667 Won WNBA Finals
LA 2017 34268.7652nd in West853.625 Lost in WNBA Finals
LA 2018 341915.5593rd in West211.500 Lost in Western Conference Semi-Finals
DAL 2019 341024.2945th in West---- Missed Playoffs
DAL 2020 22814.3646th in West---- Missed Playoffs
Career 545287258.527432419.558

Personal life

He now lives in Ohio.

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

References
  1. "Women's Basketball Coaches Career". NCAA. Retrieved 22 Sep 2015.
  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. http://sparks.wnba.com/news/2018-sparks-roster-released/
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