The Thibault name is one that has become synonymous with women’s basketball.
Mike Thibault is currently the head coach of the WNBA’s defending champion Washington Mystics. One of his assistants is his son Eric. Let us also not forget that one of Lindsay Whalen’s assistants with the Minnesota Golden Gophers is Carly Thibault-Dudonis.
In addition, Eric is married to Andreya Cracco, an assistant athletic trainer at Georgetown.
Having the Thibault name and lineage definitely helps when pursuing head coaching jobs. The Mystics coach was a recent guest on the WInsidr podcast and he revealed the plan going forward for Eric to succeed him in Washington.
When that happens, Mike will remain as the Mystics’ full-time general manager. Eric was recently a finalist for the head coaching candidacy for the New York Liberty that opened up after the team did not renew the contract of former coach Katie Smith.
The Liberty eventually chose former Minnesota Lynx assistant Walt Hopkins as its new coach and he brought Shelley Patterson with him to New York. Smith is now an assistant under Cheryl Reeve in Minnesota.
Thibault on the podcast referred to his son as a “basketball savant.”
He grew up around the NBA game, and then the WNBA game. And so, I’m proud of him – what he’s done. He’s had … a lot of interest, he turned down a job a year ago. But I think … long term, I’m not going to do this forever and we’re trying to set this up here that we can stay good for a long period of time.
–Mike Thibault, Washington Mystics coach (on the WInsidr podcast)
He said that understanding that plan is what is enticing Eric to remain in Washington along with how his family has planted roots in the D.C. area. He addressed how a criticism of Eric’s could be that by remaining with the Mystics, it does not allow him to create his own identity as a coach.
Thibault says his son has his own identity and that he is beloved by the Washington players.
He’s got a lot of the responsibilities already that a head coach would have … as far as overseeing a lot of the things that we do.
–Mike Thibault, Washington Mystics coach (on the WInsidr podcast)
All one has to do is look at the Washington roster to see why Eric is content in the Nation’s Capital. Reigning league MVP Elena Delle Donne. Reigning Finals MVP Emma Meesseman. One of the best 3-point shooters in the W in Kristi Toliver. And that is only scratching the surface.
Meesseman and Delle Donne will return to the Mystics – and neither was cored.
Thibault also believes that a benefit to having Eric on board is that the two can have honest – and sometimes heated – conversations about various topics and it not affect their relationship one bit.
Some of my staff wasn’t used to that kind of dynamic, and then they saw how it worked for us … and it’s fine.
–Mike Thibault, Washington Mystics coach (on the WInsidr podcast)
