The Los Angeles Sparks announced the latest changes within their franchise with the revealing of their assistant coaches for the 2019 season in Fred Williams and Latricia Trammell. And both make total sense.
It is important to be fully aware of a head coaches strengths and to hire to their weaknesses, that is what they went out and did. New head coach Derek Fisher needed one word: Experience.
Fred Williams was the head coach of Dallas Wings from 2014 to 2018. He holds over 35 years of women's basketball coaching experience with stints in the college game at Southern California and WNBA. He served as assistant and head coach of the Utah Starzz from 1998-2001, spent time as an assistant with the Charlotte Sting from 2003-2004,
"I am excited to add Fred to the Sparks family," Fisher said per the release. "Fred knows the WNBA as well as anyone in the business and has incredible experience, including guiding a team to the WNBA Finals. He will be a great addition to what we're building in Los Angeles."
OFFICIAL: Sparks hire Latricia Trammell as Assistant Coach.
Full Release: https://t.co/D2g451zbMO#GoSparks #All4LA pic.twitter.com/ICw5fIABye
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LA_Sparks) January 22, 2019
Trammell brings over 24 years of women's basketball coaching experience to the table. She served as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Stars in 2017 and has experience at nearly all collegiate levels including NAIA and DI. She served as the head coach of Oklahoma City University which competes at the NAIA level and won two national championships with her team in 2014 and 2015.
Trammell also held stints at Western State Colorado at the D2 level and has had multiple D1 assistant positions at North Texas and Georgia State.
"I am thrilled to have Latricia join the Sparks family," Fisher said per release. "Latricia has a proven track record of developing players and winning titles at several levels of women's basketball. Her expertise will be instrumental to the Sparks."
Trammell, being a woman who has spent the entirety of her career coaching women, makes sense. She brings a positivity and energy to the team they needed to go along with her ability to develop and win.
Williams has a proven track record of WNBA experience that alone justifies the hire. But let's be real, one his biggest assets is his close relationship with WNBA superstar Liz Cambage who recently requested a trade from the Dallas Wings. Williams is credited in many ways as being a pivotal reason Cambage re-joined the league last season and Cambage has been anything but quite regarding her wishes to play for the Sparks.
Time will tell on that matter and what other benefits these hires may bring. But for now, Fisher and the Sparks went out and got exactly what they needed…. experience.
