Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller named 2021 Coach Of the Year

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Connecticut Sun Head Coach Curt Miller Named 2021 Coach Of the Year

Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller has been named the 2021 WNBA Coach of the Year, the WNBA announced today.  He becomes the sixth coach in the 25-year history of the league to win the award multiple times, joining three-time winners Van Chancellor, Cheryl Reeve and Mike Thibault, and two-time winners Dan Hughes and Bill Laimbeer.

Miller received 41 votes from a national panel of 49 sportswriters and broadcasters.  Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx finished second with six votes. Laimbeer of the Las Vegas Aces and Noelle Quinn of the Seattle Storm tied for third with one vote each.

Miller, in his sixth season as a WNBA head coach, guided the Sun to the league’s best record (26-6) and the No. 1 seed in the WNBA Playoffs 2021 presented by Google. The Sun tips off its quest for the franchise’s first WNBA championship tonight at 8 p.m. ET, hosting the sixth-seeded Chicago Sky (ESPN2) in Game 1 of a Semifinals series.

The Sun’s overall winning percentage (.813) in 2021, propelled by a franchise-record 14-game winning streak to close the regular season, is the best mark in franchise history. Connecticut’s 14 straight wins from July 9 through August 19 also ranks as the fourth-longest streak in league history.  The Sun also led the league in point differential (9.8 ppg).

The 2017 WNBA Coach of the Year and Basketball Executive of the Year, Miller built this year’s team around a trio of 2021 WNBA All-Stars in DeWanna Bonner, Brionna Jones and Jonquel Jones.  Bonner ranked among the top 16 in the league in scoring (15.2 ppg) and rebounding (6.4 rpg). Brionna Jones posted career highs in scoring (14.7 ppg) and rebounding (7.3 rpg). Jonquel Jones led the league in rebounding (11.2 rpg) and ranked fourth in scoring (19.4 ppg).

During the first half of the 2021 season, Miller guided the Sun to a 9-1 record in Commissioner’s Cup Games against Eastern Conference rivals and a berth in the inaugural Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game on Aug. 12 vs. Seattle.

Miller, 52, has led Connecticut to a postseason berth in five straight seasons, including a trip to the 2019 WNBA Finals. Before joining the professional ranks as an assistant with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2015, Miller went 290-124 (.700) over 13 seasons as the women’s coach at Bowling Green (2001-12) and Indiana (2012-14).

Below are the voting results for the 2021 WNBA Coach of the Year Award as well as a list of past recipients.

2021 WNBA COACH OF THE YEAR RESULTS
Coach Team Votes
Curt Miller Connecticut Sun 41
Cheryl Reeve Minnesota Lynx 6
Bill Laimbeer Las Vegas Aces 1
Noelle Quinn Seattle Storm 1

 

WNBA COACH OF THE YEAR WINNERS
Season Coach Team Record
1997 Van Chancellor Houston Comets 18–10
1998 Van Chancellor  Houston Comets 27–3
1999 Van Chancellor  Houston Comets 26–6
2000 Michael Cooper Los Angeles Sparks 28–4
2001 Dan Hughes Cleveland Rockers 22–10
2002 Marianne Stanley Washington Mystics 17–15
2003 Bill Laimbeer Detroit Shock 25–9
2004 Suzie McConnell-Serio Minnesota Lynx 18–16
2005 John Whisenant Sacramento Monarchs 25–9
2006 Mike Thibault Connecticut Sun 26–8
2007 Dan Hughes  San Antonio Silver Stars 20–14
2008 Mike Thibault  Connecticut Sun  21–13
2009 Marynell Meadors Atlanta Dream 18–16
2010 Brian Agler Seattle Storm 28–6
2011 Cheryl Reeve Minnesota Lynx  27–7
2012 Carol Ross Los Angeles Sparks  24–10
2013 Mike Thibault Washington Mystics  17–17
2014 Sandy Brondello Phoenix Mercury 29–5
2015 Bill Laimbeer  New York Liberty 23–11
2016 Cheryl Reeve  Minnesota Lynx  28–6
2017 Curt Miller Connecticut Sun  21–13
2018 Nicki Collen Atlanta Dream  23–11
2019 James Wade Chicago Sky 20–14
2020 Cheryl Reeve  Minnesota Lynx  14–8
2021 Curt Miller  Connecticut Sun  26–6
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