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Liberty fire head coach Chris DeMarco after one season: report
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- Liberty fire head coach Chris DeMarco after one season: report
NEW YORK — It's one and done for Chris DeMarco.
The Liberty front office has decided to fire the head coach after just one season with the team, according to ESPN.
"Thank you, Coach DeMarco," the Liberty posted on social media Tuesday.
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The moves come after the team entered the postseason as an eighth seed and got swept by the Atlanta Dream in their second-round playoff series.
DeMarco, who joined the Liberty last November after 14 years as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors, now departs from the team after it got outplayed by the Dream.
In his final press conference following that series, the head coach expected to return to the Liberty for the 2027 season.
"As far as I know, every communication I've had, every dialogue I've had, the answer is yes," he said when asked if higher-ups in the Liberty organization communicated to him if he'll be back.
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A reset timeout snafu, which led to the league questioning the integrity of star Breanna Stewart, overshadowed what became an overtime defeat in Game 2 of the eventual second-round sweep.
The unceremonious departure of fan favorite Betnijah Laney-Hamilton also occurred under DeMarco's tenure.
Laney-Hamilton's departure and the team's drop in WNBA standings led to the coach being booed during multiple pregame introductions throughout the regular season.
More recently, none of the Liberty's Big 3 — Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu — publicly endorsed DeMarco when asked after the season-ending Game 3 loss if it's their hope and belief that he would return for the 2027 WNBA season.
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"That's not our say. Our job is to go out there and play good basketball and represent the organization well, represent the fanbase well and our families," Jones said after the 85-83 defeat. "I think we do a good job of focusing on that. It is what it is."
DeMarco's non-existent WNBA experience quickly came into question after Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb made the hire last year. During the search that led to DeMarco winning the job, Kolb cited the need to "nail this."
Kolb parted ways with two-time WNBA champion head coach Sandy Brondello following a first-round defeat at the hands of the Phoenix Mercury.
At the time, multiple Liberty players backed Brondello when questions arose concerning her job security, including Stewart and Ionescu.
Brondello now is head coach of the Toronto Tempo.
DeMarco is currently without a job.
And once again, the Liberty are searching for a new head coach.
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