Latest news with #WrightRogers
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Opportunity of a lifetime': New GM Wright Rogers ready to take charge of WNBA's Toronto Tempo
Monica Wright Rogers has merely put 10 toes on the ground in Toronto to begin her role as general manager of the WNBA's expansion Tempo, but she can already feel the support of the city behind her. Her hiring solidifies her as the 12th member of Canada's first-ever and only WNBA team franchise. "Once I stepped foot in this city — despite the snow — that excitement has exponentially increased in just feeling the appetite and excitement from fans and everyone in the sports world here, we have no shortage of support," Wright Rogers said in an interview with CBC Sports. Wright Rogers, 36, arrives on the Canadian basketball scene with an impressive resume behind her: seven seasons as a point guard in the WNBA, two championship titles with the Minnesota Lynx, and in 2023, she became assistant general manager for the Phoenix Mercury. Now, she hits the ground running with the Tempo, with the tasks lying immediately ahead of her include hiring a head coach and securing a roster of players for the first season in 2026. While the San Antonio, Texas native didn't share details on any potential head-coaching candidates, she "feels good about where things are at," more than a year out from the first tip-off. "There's a lot of unknown with the future of this league, the upcoming CBA [Collective Bargaining Agreement], the unprecedented amount of free agents and just a lot of talent coming into this league from international ranks, the NCAA ranks and beyond," Wright Rogers said. Just ahead of the 2026 season, 21 league all stars will be free agents. This includes Canada's Kia Nurse, back-to-back WNBA champion Kelsey Plum, and Las Vegas Ace star A'Ja Wilson, who was named tournament MVP at the Paris 2024 Olympics for her contributions to Team USA's gold medal. "I'm really excited to sign our first player," Wright Rogers said. "In terms of our timeline, we've got time to pull the best brains together and strategize about how we want to approach this unprecedented time in the WNBA and women's sports as a whole." WATCH | Wright Rogers talks goals for 2026 season: Unparalleled WNBA success In the 2024 season, the success of the WNBA was unparalleled, clocking the most-ever watched regular-season games across ESPN platforms, the highest total attendance of games in 22 years, and record number sales in WNBA merchandise sales. The launch of Canada's first WNBA team will be another milestone for basketball in Canada in 2026, but to Wright Rogers, the WNBA has always deserved all the flowers. "I've been in it so long that I've always just loved it. The same enthusiasm everyone has, I've had it this entire time, my whole life," she said. "The WNBA has always had talent and I think we're at a point in time where we see it taking strides, and we see the investment… I'm definitely on board and very excited about this ride." As for her plans with Tempo? Simply to win. With two chips under her belt, having won championship titles with the Minnesota Lynx in 2011 and 2013, Wright Rogers said she knows what it takes to build a winning culture. "I was very early on with the Lynx in their dynasty in the early stages and so being a part of the build of a championship culture, a championship team… I pull from that every day," she said. "I'm hoping to make sure that that is ingrained into the culture of this franchise as well." And as Wright Rogers continues to acclimate to Toronto (she says her family has been loving the vast food scene so far), she's excited to get to work and build this franchise from the ground up. "This is an opportunity of a lifetime… to lay the foundation for great culture and one that is very thoughtful and reflective of not just Toronto, but Canada's basketball, women's basketball culture."
CBC
27-02-2025
- Sport
- CBC
'Opportunity of a lifetime': New GM Wright Rogers ready to take charge of WNBA's Toronto Tempo
Monica Wright Rogers has merely put 10 toes on the ground in Toronto to begin her role as general manager of the WNBA's expansion Tempo, but she can already feel the support of the city behind her. Her hiring solidifies her as the 12th member of Canada's first-ever and only WNBA team franchise. "Once I stepped foot in this city — despite the snow — that excitement has exponentially increased in just feeling the appetite and excitement from fans and everyone in the sports world here, we have no shortage of support," Wright Rogers said in an interview with CBC Sports. Wright Rogers, 36, arrives on the Canadian basketball scene with an impressive resume behind her: seven seasons as a point guard in the WNBA, two championship titles with the Minnesota Lynx, and in 2023, she became assistant general manager for the Phoenix Mercury. Now, she hits the ground running with the Tempo, with the tasks lying immediately ahead of her include hiring a head coach and securing a roster of players for the first season in 2026. While the San Antonio, Texas native didn't share details on any potential head-coaching candidates, she "feels good about where things are at," more than a year out from the first tip-off. "There's a lot of unknown with the future of this league, the upcoming CBA [Collective Bargaining Agreement], the unprecedented amount of free agents and just a lot of talent coming into this league from international ranks, the NCAA ranks and beyond," Wright Rogers said. Just ahead of the 2026 season, 21 league all stars will be free agents. This includes Canada's Kia Nurse, back-to-back WNBA champion Kelsey Plum, and Las Vegas Ace star A'Ja Wilson, who was named tournament MVP at the Paris 2024 Olympics for her contributions to Team USA's gold medal. "I'm really excited to sign our first player," Wright Rogers said. "In terms of our timeline, we've got time to pull the best brains together and strategize about how we want to approach this unprecedented time in the WNBA and women's sports as a whole." WATCH | Wright Rogers talks goals for 2026 season: Monica Wright Rogers relishes challenge of building Toronto's WNBA 1st-ever franchise 9 minutes ago Duration 0:41 Unparalleled WNBA success In the 2024 season, the success of the WNBA was unparalleled, clocking the most-ever watched regular-season games across ESPN platforms, the highest total attendance of games in 22 years, and record number sales in WNBA merchandise sales. The launch of Canada's first WNBA team will be another milestone for basketball in Canada in 2026, but to Wright Rogers, the WNBA has always deserved all the flowers. "I've been in it so long that I've always just loved it. The same enthusiasm everyone has, I've had it this entire time, my whole life," she said. "The WNBA has always had talent and I think we're at a point in time where we see it taking strides, and we see the investment… I'm definitely on board and very excited about this ride." As for her plans with Tempo? Simply to win. With two chips under her belt, having won championship titles with the Minnesota Lynx in 2011 and 2013, Wright Rogers said she knows what it takes to build a winning culture. "I was very early on with the Lynx in their dynasty in the early stages and so being a part of the build of a championship culture, a championship team… I pull from that every day," she said. "I'm hoping to make sure that that is ingrained into the culture of this franchise as well." And as Wright Rogers continues to acclimate to Toronto (she says her family has been loving the vast food scene so far), she's excited to get to work and build this franchise from the ground up. "This is an opportunity of a lifetime… to lay the foundation for great culture and one that is very thoughtful and reflective of not just Toronto, but Canada's basketball, women's basketball culture."
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Toronto Tempo's first GM Monica Wright Rogers sets vision for WNBA expansion team's future
TORONTO — As a native Arizonan with plenty of time in California on his resume, Nick U'Ren isn't used to traversing downtown streets littered with 28 inches of snow — the official number so far in Toronto for February. But the Phoenix Mercury general manager wasn't going to miss Monica Wright Rogers' formal introduction as the GM for the Toronto Tempo expansion team. So U'Ren flew in from Phoenix to sit in the front row of a media event in downtown Toronto for his former assistant general manager. Speaking in front of a Toronto Tempo graphic over a giant skyline of Toronto, Wright Rogers discussed her plans to build an on-court product for Canada's WNBA team. 'In the coming months, we're going to build this team from the ground up, hiring not only a head coach but an entire roster of talent that will shape our first season,' Wright Rogers said from a third-floor conference room in a building in Toronto's waterfront district. 'We'll do that through the expansion draft, but also through what I believe will be the most dynamic free-agency period that the league has ever seen. Twenty-one of last year's WNBA All -Stars are set to become unrestricted free agents in 2026. We are dedicated to bringing the greatest basketball talent in the world here to Toronto.' The job begins now — the WNBA's 14th franchise markets itself as representing Toronto but also the entire country. The regular-season schedule in 2026 will include games in Montreal and Vancouver. Until the first coach is hired and players are acquired, Wright Rogers immediately became the public face of the franchise alongside club president Teresa Resch. 'When we set out to find someone, we knew it had to be someone special, it had to be a person that was going to be able to represent Canada and what we're trying to build in this country,' Resch said. 'I worked in the NBA for 10 years, so if you had asked me to hire a NBA GM, I knew who I'd pick right away. The W was a different story. It was an incredible learning opportunity to get to know the league, and what I found was an incredible depth of talent. It was a matter of who was going to be the best fit for the Tempo, and I could not find a better person than Monica to lead this team. Her wide breadth of experiences really captured us, and ultimately what set her apart was who she is as a person and what she brings to the table.'Tempo looks good on you, @monnie22! 💜💙 Toronto Tempo (@TempoBasketball) February 20, 2025 Wright Rogers described her leadership style as 'people first, team first.' U'Ren said Wright Rogers' greatest strength will be her wealth of connections in basketball, forged by a resume that includes a long playing career (two WNBA titles as a player with the Minnesota Lynx), coaching at the college level (Liberty and University of Virginia), a stint as an NBA executive and as the assistant general manager for the Mercury from 2023 to this year. 'Nothing prepares you until you sit in the seat and you feel the weight on your shoulders,' U'Ren said. 'But she was in on every decision. She sat right there next to me and we talked through every scenario that happened, didn't happen. It is the closest thing you can come to being prepared, but I won't lie, there will be a difference when you sit in that seat, and there's only one way to experience it, and that's to do it. 'She coached in college and she's worked in the international space in the league office, so she's seen the game from so many different angles. Youth, grassroots, college, international, pro. I could go on for days about Monica. She is one of the most connected people I've ever met in all of basketball, not just women's basketball. There's not a gym she walks into where there's not multiple people that come up to her and give her a huge hug. It's the depth of her connections and the regard with which people hold her. Basketball is a small world, and from agents to coaches to players, so to have that deep of a network to start is going to give her a big leg up.' Wright Rogers said she wants a coach in place by the expansion draft, which will take place after the 2025 WNBA season (the regular season ends Sept. 11). Asked about a playing style, she offered no specifics yet but joked that she wanted the team to play 'up tempo.' On the importance of Canadian players on the roster, Wright Rogers said: 'I don't want to make any roster promises, but I will say that I'm really excited about the talent that Canada has in the WNBA and upcoming through those NCAA pipelines, through the national team pipelines. I think that there's tremendous opportunity to get some of that talent in the future.' Though the location of Toronto can be a challenge for attracting high-priced U.S.-born free agents in other sports given the very real issue of playing in a different country and the currency rate, U'Ren predicted this won't be a problem in the WNBA. 'I can't claim to be the all-knowing expert in this area, and I can't predict the future, but so many of these players have played overseas before,' U'Ren said. 'They're more worldly. They're more used to being adaptable to different situations, whether that's pay or currency. Hopefully, we're trending in a very positive direction from a salary perspective. But these women play for the love of the game. They haven't played for big money. They're here because they love basketball. I think Toronto represents growth. It represents an international expansion. I just think the W players are way more prepared to handle that. It'll be way less of a barrier to entry, in my opinion.' The Tempo organization has 12 employees, so Wright Rogers will be heavily involved in shaping the broader culture. CBC Sports reported that Resch's initial GM candidate list was 20 to 25 people before three finalists were brought to Toronto for final meetings. 'I acknowledge that I sit here today representing many things,' Wright Rogers said. 'I'm a woman, I'm a person of color, I'm a former athlete, a mother, a partner, a daughter and a sister. The collection of who I am is what has prepared me for this moment. I'm going to take this time to connect with anyone who has ever felt underestimated, overlooked or unseen. I'm living proof that you can uphold what's true to you while accomplishing big things.' This article originally appeared in The Athletic. WNBA, Sports Business 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
21-02-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Toronto Tempo's first GM Monica Wright Rogers sets vision for WNBA expansion team's future
TORONTO — As a native Arizonan with plenty of time in California on his resume, Nick U'Ren isn't used to traversing downtown streets littered with 28 inches of snow — the official number so far in Toronto for February. But the Phoenix Mercury general manager wasn't going to miss Monica Wright Rogers' formal introduction as the GM for the Toronto Tempo expansion team. So U'Ren flew in from Phoenix to sit in the front row of a media event in downtown Toronto for his former assistant general manager. Speaking in front of a Toronto Tempo graphic over a giant skyline of Toronto, Wright Rogers discussed her plans to build an on-court product for Canada's WNBA team. Advertisement 'In the coming months, we're going to build this team from the ground up, hiring not only a head coach but an entire roster of talent that will shape our first season,' Wright Rogers said from a third-floor conference room in a building in Toronto's waterfront district. 'We'll do that through the expansion draft, but also through what I believe will be the most dynamic free-agency period that the league has ever seen. Twenty-one of last year's WNBA All -Stars are set to become unrestricted free agents in 2026. We are dedicated to bringing the greatest basketball talent in the world here to Toronto.' The job begins now — the WNBA's 14th franchise markets itself as representing Toronto but also the entire country. The regular-season schedule in 2026 will include games in Montreal and Vancouver. Until the first coach is hired and players are acquired, Wright Rogers immediately became the public face of the franchise alongside club president Teresa Resch. 'When we set out to find someone, we knew it had to be someone special, it had to be a person that was going to be able to represent Canada and what we're trying to build in this country,' Resch said. 'I worked in the NBA for 10 years, so if you had asked me to hire a NBA GM, I knew who I'd pick right away. The W was a different story. It was an incredible learning opportunity to get to know the league, and what I found was an incredible depth of talent. It was a matter of who was going to be the best fit for the Tempo, and I could not find a better person than Monica to lead this team. Her wide breadth of experiences really captured us, and ultimately what set her apart was who she is as a person and what she brings to the table.' Tempo looks good on you, @monnie22! 💜💙 — Toronto Tempo (@TempoBasketball) February 20, 2025 Wright Rogers described her leadership style as 'people first, team first.' U'Ren said Wright Rogers' greatest strength will be her wealth of connections in basketball, forged by a resume that includes a long playing career (two WNBA titles as a player with the Minnesota Lynx), coaching at the college level (Liberty and University of Virginia), a stint as an NBA executive and as the assistant general manager for the Mercury from 2023 to this year. Advertisement 'Nothing prepares you until you sit in the seat and you feel the weight on your shoulders,' U'Ren said. 'But she was in on every decision. She sat right there next to me and we talked through every scenario that happened, didn't happen. It is the closest thing you can come to being prepared, but I won't lie, there will be a difference when you sit in that seat, and there's only one way to experience it, and that's to do it. 'She coached in college and she's worked in the international space in the league office, so she's seen the game from so many different angles. Youth, grassroots, college, international, pro. I could go on for days about Monica. She is one of the most connected people I've ever met in all of basketball, not just women's basketball. There's not a gym she walks into where there's not multiple people that come up to her and give her a huge hug. It's the depth of her connections and the regard with which people hold her. Basketball is a small world, and from agents to coaches to players, so to have that deep of a network to start is going to give her a big leg up.' Wright Rogers said she wants a coach in place by the expansion draft, which will take place after the 2025 WNBA season (the regular season ends Sept. 11). Asked about a playing style, she offered no specifics yet but joked that she wanted the team to play 'up tempo.' On the importance of Canadian players on the roster, Wright Rogers said: 'I don't want to make any roster promises, but I will say that I'm really excited about the talent that Canada has in the WNBA and upcoming through those NCAA pipelines, through the national team pipelines. I think that there's tremendous opportunity to get some of that talent in the future.' Though the location of Toronto can be a challenge for attracting high-priced U.S.-born free agents in other sports given the very real issue of playing in a different country and the currency rate, U'Ren predicted this won't be a problem in the WNBA. Advertisement 'I can't claim to be the all-knowing expert in this area, and I can't predict the future, but so many of these players have played overseas before,' U'Ren said. 'They're more worldly. They're more used to being adaptable to different situations, whether that's pay or currency. Hopefully, we're trending in a very positive direction from a salary perspective. But these women play for the love of the game. They haven't played for big money. They're here because they love basketball. I think Toronto represents growth. It represents an international expansion. I just think the W players are way more prepared to handle that. It'll be way less of a barrier to entry, in my opinion.' The Tempo organization has 12 employees, so Wright Rogers will be heavily involved in shaping the broader culture. CBC Sports reported that Resch's initial GM candidate list was 20 to 25 people before three finalists were brought to Toronto for final meetings. 'I acknowledge that I sit here today representing many things,' Wright Rogers said. 'I'm a woman, I'm a person of color, I'm a former athlete, a mother, a partner, a daughter and a sister. The collection of who I am is what has prepared me for this moment. I'm going to take this time to connect with anyone who has ever felt underestimated, overlooked or unseen. I'm living proof that you can uphold what's true to you while accomplishing big things.'
New York Times
30-01-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Monica Wright Rogers hired as Toronto's first GM: What's next for WNBA expansion team?
The Toronto Tempo have made their first basketball hire. The franchise is bringing in Monica Wright Rogers, who was most recently assistant general manager for the Phoenix Mercury, as the first general manager in team history, a league source confirmed Wednesday. ESPN first reported the news. Wright Rogers is the second assistant general manager to be hired by an expansion team, following Ohemaa Nyanin, who was an assistant GM in New York before moving to Golden State. Advertisement Wright Rogers played in the WNBA for seven seasons, winning two titles with the Minnesota Lynx after a decorated career at Virginia. When her playing career ended, she was an assistant coach for the Liberty and then her alma mater before joining the NBA league office. She spent two years with the Mercury and, per league sources, was under consideration for the general manager job in Washington before earning the role with Toronto. The Tempo will join the WNBA alongside another expansion franchise in Portland in 2026, bringing the total number of teams in the league to 15. The expectation is that there will be another expansion draft before the 2026 season, but with the institution of a new collective bargaining agreement and nearly every veteran expected to be a free agent, the specifics of personnel movement remain in flux. Toronto will next turn to hiring a head coach, though there is no rush since the team won't take the court until May of next year. The Valkyries didn't hire Natalie Nakase until October 2024, so there is a long runway ahead for the Tempo. (Photo of Wright driving to the basket during Game 1 of the 2011 WNBA Finals: Hannah Foslien / Getty Images)
