Liberty Part Ways With Coach Chris DeMarco After One Season

The New York Liberty announced Tuesday that Chris DeMarco will not return as head coach after one season, following a campaign that ended with a semifinal playoff sweep by the Atlanta Dream. New York finished the regular season 26-18, placing eighth in the standings. The Liberty then swept the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the opening round before Atlanta swept them in the semifinals. The team has not publicly explained its decision to part ways with DeMarco. The announcement followed a difficult postseason exit and an uneven regular season. In Game 2 against Atlanta, the Liberty lost in overtime while trailing by three late in the game. Accounts of the incident described confusion over whether the team had a reset timeout remaining; one account said the coaching staff did not know it had one. The timeout episode does not establish the team’s reason for its coaching decision. DeMarco said after the series that he expected to return, based on his communications with the organization. Players offered no guarantee about his future. Breanna Stewart said the team had not been consistent throughout the season, while Sabrina Ionescu said the decision was not the players’ to make....