Tag: Dan Hughes

Who’s coaching the United States men’s and women’s basketball teams?

The NBA season ended just a few days ago but for fans who want their basketball fix, the Olympics will help.

The NBA season ended just a few days ago, but for fans who want their basketball fix, the Olympics will help provide necessary excitement.

When the United State’s men’s national team begins to play against other top competition from around the world, the men’s team will be coached by Gregg Popovich. He is a five-time NBA champion leading the San Antonio Spurs and has served as head coach for Team USA since taking over for Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski back in October 2015.

Also on the coaching staff for the United States is Steve Kerr, who won five NBA titles as a player and has also already been crowned champion three times as a coach. Kerr played for Popovich for several years when he was a professional player.

Others on the coaching staff are Lloyd Pierce — who was head coach of the Atlanta Hawks until this past season and was recently hired as lead assistant for the Indiana Pacers — as well as Villanova men’s basketball head coach Jay Wright.

Meanwhile, the United States women’s basketball team is led by Dawn Staley, who has held the position since 2017.

(Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)

She played professional basketball for more than a decade both domestically and internationally and is now the head coach for South Carolina’s women’s basketball team. She was recently considered a candidate for the head coaching position with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Her staff includes Dan Hughes (who recently retired as head coach of the Seattle Storm), Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve and former George Washington women’s basketball head coach Jennifer Rizzotti — who recently took over as head coach of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun.

Men’s basketball at the Tokyo Olympics is set to begin Sunday, July 25, and Team USA’s first game is against France at 8 a.m. ET.

Women’s basketball at the Games begins Monday, July 26, and Team USA’s first matchup is against Nigeria at 12:40 a.m. ET on Tuesday, July 27.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fb9s4k51ngtccr6s player_id=none image=https://ftw.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=1052633]

New York Liberty vs. Seattle Storm odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s New York Liberty vs. Seattle Storm match up, with WNBA betting odds, picks and best bets.

The New York Liberty and Seattle Storm tip off the WNBA regular season Saturday at noon ET at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. in the league’s bubble site, or “Wubble” – which the players have been calling it. We analyze the Liberty-Storm WNBA betting odds and lines, with betting advice and tips around the matchup.

The Storm have picked up five consecutive victories in their head-to-head series vs. the Liberty. New York’s last win in the series was way back on July 6, 2017. In addition to going 5-0 straight up (SU) vs. the Liberty, the Storm are 4-1 against the spread (ATS) during the stretch. The Under has also cashed in five of the previous six meetings.

Liberty vs. Storm: By the Numbers

  • We’ll see the long-anticipated debut of Liberty rookie G Sabrina Ionescu, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft. She was the first player in NCAA history to post at least 2,000 career points, 1,000 career rebounds and 1,000 career assists while at the University of Oregon.
  • The Storm will be without coach Dan Hughes, who is avoiding the bubble since a medical assessment diagnosed him a high risk if he contracted the coronavirus. He missed time last season due to cancer treatments. Assistant Gary Kloppenburg will step in and serve as the head coach.
  • The Storm (+400) are among the favorites to win the 2020 WNBA Championship, sharing the second-best odds with the Los Angeles Sparks and just behind the defending champion Washington Mystics (+250). The Liberty (+2500) are considered a long shot – only three teams have worse odds.

WNBA season is finally here! Get some action on the 2020 season with an WNBA bet at BetMGM in NJ, IN, CO and WV. Bet now!

Liberty vs. Storm: Key injuries

Liberty

  • G Rebecca Allen opted out of the bubble due to COVID-19 risks.
  • G Asia Durr opted out due to COVID-19 risks.
  • F Megan Walker (COVID-19 concerrns) out.

Liberty vs. Storm: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

WNBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Saturday at 10:35 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Storm 77, Liberty 73

Moneyline (ML)

The Liberty (+450) are an intriguing play as underdogs, but the Storm (-625) are still the gold standard in the Western Conference, and perhaps all of the WNBA.

PASS on the lack of value.

Against the spread (ATS)

The spread is -10.5 for Seattle (-110), and with their head coach leading the way, perhaps NEW YORK (+10.5, -110) is able to keep it fairly close.

Over/Under (O/U)

The UNDER 153.5 (-110) has been a regular happening when these two teams get together. The Liberty should have a nice infusion of offense with Ionescu, but take the Under until further notice.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter, and follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=3729]