When your team makes an ascent from out of the playoff picture to the second seed (and its corresponding double bye) in the WNBA playoffs, a little recognition is in order.
That recognition came for Atlanta Dream head coach Nicki Collen, who was announced as Coach of the Year for 2018.
There were probably cases to be made for Las Vegas Aces head coach Bill Laimbeer and the Seattle Storm’s Dan Hughes. The Dream going on a hot streak at the tail end of the season, despite a season-ending injury to Angel McCoughtry, likely sealed the award for the Dream’s first-year head coach.
Hardware was not only in order for Collen, but also another member of Atlanta’s front office. Chris Sienko, the Dream’s general manager, was named Executive of the Year. Both Collen and Sienko came to the Dream after stints with the Connecticut Sun.
