Unrivaled Basketball Season 2 Is Right Around the Corner: Get to Know the Head Coaches

Unrivaled is gearing up for an exciting Season 2! The league announced the addition of two expansion clubs—Breeze BC and Hive BC—, welcomed four new head coaches, and added an array of talent to its exceptional roster pool.

The Ballers Magazine got the opportunity to chat with each of the eight head coaches about their respective clubs, learn about their goals for the season, and more during this year's Unrivaled media availability for head coaches.

Check out each of those pressers below and don't forget to subscribe to our Ballers Magazine YouTube channel for more Unrivaled content!

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Zach O’Brien, Head Coach of Mist BC 

"I've coached under Sandy Brondello for seven years now. I don't know if there's someone better to introduce me to the league, to help me grow in my role, but then also preparing me for this job...I've learned two things from her: she is truly the same person every day and that's such a superpower as a head coach—it allows everyone around you to know what they're going to get out of you...I think the other thing that she taught me and that she's really pressed upon me was just being yourself; and once you get into these leadership positions, not changing who you are. I'm someone who likes to lean on the people around me and pull from the talent around me...I'm a player's coach and I'm big on relationships, but I like to coach players and be honest with them. I think in just my early conversations with some of the Mist players, they're really eager to get down there, be coached, and be put in positions to learn and grow."

-Coach O'Brien on some things he has learned from his time as an assistant coach that he is looking to carry with him into his first season with Unrivaled as a head coach.

Rena Wakama, Head Coach of Hive BC 

"I remember back in 2016, 2017, I went back to volunteer at one of my AAU teams that I played for, and [Rivers] was there. And me and my director, he's like my godfather now, Arnie Morris, he was like, “Yo, she's going to be a star”. I was like, I know she's going to be a star! So being able to see her from that seventh grade Saniya to...her rookie year in the WNBA is huge. She's grown tremendously; she's had a lot of diDerent experiences. When she started her career, I moved away, I started my coaching career as well. To be able to come back and see where she is now is just tremendous. I knew if there was an opportunity to get her, I had to get her, because it's just...it means everything."

-Coach Wakama on her connection to Saniya Rivers

Noelle Quinn, Head Coach of Breeze BC

"It's very advantageous because one thing that you have to kind of be mindful of is spacing—how you want to attack, where your shots are going to come from, (etc). 3x3 (basketball) is a little bit different because of how you inbound the ball...but to have some familiarity with how to defend, again, some strategy behind how can you get the ball to your teammates, pick-and-roll, off-ball; all of these things that come into play. To have some [players that] have played in that environment is information within itself that I think is going to be very important for those players to give us that information and let us know as a group, but also for themselves as individuals to be ready for what to expect."

-Coach Quinn on the advantages of having players within her roster with 3x3 experience such as Paige Bueckers and Cameron Brink.

Teresa Weatherspoon, Head Coach of Vinyl BC

"One thing I truly loved about the team that I had last season is they trusted one another. They held each other accountable. The locker room was stable because I had great leaders in that locker room. I want to bring that very same thing back—it's the culture of Vinyl. It's who we are. It's what we bring to the table every day. You have Dearica [Hamby], you have Rhyne [Howard], and you also have Rae [Burrell] who was there with me my first year. They understand what is necessary, what I like, what I believe in, what I stand for, so I have the locker room already covered. They'll make sure that that's covered. I want to bring that same thing back, the level of trust with one another, holding one another accountable, being accepting to what's being said, and be flexible and adaptable in any way possible to win games."

-Coach Weatherspoon on one aspect of her team from last year that she liked that she wants to carry into this new Unrivaled season.

Andrew Wade, Head Coach of Laces BC

"I would say our competitive nature. I just think it's innately who we were as a group last year in the first iteration of the Laces. Obviously Jackie [Young], AT [Alyssa Thomas] who are returning, but KMac [Kayla McBride], Tip Hayes, Kate Martin, Stef [Dolson]...those were some ultimate competitors. So the thing I really admired about that group is they all have won at some level as well. Whether it was the semifinal game or just a shooting drill at practice, the compete factor was always extremely high. If you guys have been to one of my practices, I like the gym loud, I like energy in the gym; and that was kind of what I was looking for with this group as well. Again, there's less vets in this group—so maybe not as "accomplished" as far as winning and accolades—, but that competitive fire and that drive is very much there. I think that's probably what excites me the most."

-Coach Wade on an aspect from the Laces team last season that he hopes to bring into this season as well.

Nola Henry, Head Coach of Rose BC

"I think Sug [Sutton]—similar to the rest of the players on the Rose as well as myself—has a built-in chip on her shoulder from not always being the best player on the court per se...there's a core belief that I had prior to even drafting her. Obviously, it's why I drafted her. What she can do and her capabilities on the court—she can play on both sides of the ball. She's a really good backup point guard, starting point guard obviously in other leagues. She just can do a lot of things. She has a lot of wiggle and I think that'll translate well in 3-on-3 where it is a lot of ISO ball and it is a matter of 'can you go score against the person defending you?' I think she has a chip on her shoulder already, and the confidence and skill set to really score against anybody; as well as take on the challenge to go and guard whoever she's asked to guard. I think she does a really good job pressuring the ball. So it's exciting."

-Coach Henry on Sug Sutton and her dynamic playmaking at both ends of the floor.

Roneeka Hodges, Head Coach of Phantom BC

"That's the only way that you're going to win and be successful and consistently win, is to be competitive and to have a competitive spirit. So that's something that's going to be important. I talk about having fun because I want us to play with joy. I think sometimes that it could be a component of the game that's missing. Maybe because there's a lot of stress, maybe because there's a lot of pressure. Sometimes we actually forget that it’s hard work, but it's also fun. And basketball should be fun. We should enjoy it. So that's something that I want to make sure that we have."

-Coach Hodges on her three team pillars of competitiveness, camaraderie and having fun

DJ Sackmann, Head Coach of Lunar Owls BC

"I love the fact that Marina can also play the point at times. So, we can keep her on the floor as a combo, and when Skylar [Diggins] is on the floor as well. So that's really good. I love Rachel and Rebecca’s ability to shoot the basketball. Like I mentioned, you're going to get open shots in this game. This is just the style of the game that it is, especially when you have to place your energy on the best players in the league in my opinion. So, the energy has to be there. You have to be one or two steps off, which is really difficult to do on a Rebecca, or a Rachel, or a Marina."

-Coach Sackmann on the additions of Marina Mabrey, Rachel Banham and Rebecca Allen to the Lunar Owls squad