Sandy Brondello knows what it takes to win in the WNBA. The two-time champion and former Coach of the Year spent years facing the league’s best and crafting game plans against basketball’s brightest minds. But when she looks back on her long coaching journey, two players stand out as the toughest puzzles she ever tried to solve: Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson.
The 57-year-old coach led the New York Liberty to a championship in 2024 and another playoff appearance in 2025. After the team’s first-round loss to the Phoenix Mercury, the Liberty decided not to renew her contract. Brondello is now taking charge of the Toronto Tempo, one of two new expansion teams joining the WNBA in 2026 along with the Portland Fire.
During a recent conversation on the “Bird’s Eye View” podcast, Brondello shared which players gave her the hardest time throughout her career. Her answer came quickly and without hesitation.
“I think A’ja’s really hard to defend. She needs to be crowded around,” Brondello said. “And Caitlin Clark is really hard to guard when she’s healthy. She gave us a lot of trouble this year. She can shoot from way out, she can pass it. She’s been a tough one.”
A’ja Wilson The Powerhouse Who Redefined Consistency
It is not hard to understand why A’ja Wilson earned Brondello’s respect. The Las Vegas Aces forward has been the face of dominance in women’s basketball. She finished the 2025 season averaging 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.6 steals while winning nearly every award available. Wilson claimed the MVP title, Finals MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and a fourth All-Defensive First Team honor. Her command of both ends of the floor continues to separate her from every other player in the league.
Wilson now enters free agency, and her future remains one of the biggest storylines of the offseason. The Aces are expected to do everything possible to keep their leader, but her influence across the league ensures that every team is watching closely.
Caitlin Clark The Young Star Who Brings Fear From Anywhere on the Court
Caitlin Clark’s second WNBA season did not unfold as she hoped. Injuries to her quadriceps, ankle, and groin limited her to only thirteen games. Yet even in those appearances, she made her mark. She averaged 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals while proving that her combination of shooting range and playmaking vision could change the pace of any game.
Brondello’s praise for Clark reflects a coach’s deep understanding of threat recognition. When Clark is on the floor, defenses are forced to stretch, rotate, and hope. Her ability to pull up from well beyond the arc or find an open teammate in an instant makes her one of the hardest players to contain.
Now fully recovered, Clark prepares for her third season with the Indiana Fever. At only twenty-three years old, she remains both the face of a rebuilding team and one of the sport’s brightest global icons.
Brondello’s New Challenge in Toronto
For Brondello, the next phase of her career will test every ounce of her experience. She will lead the Toronto Tempo into their debut season, building a roster and identity from scratch. The franchise has placed its trust in her proven leadership, expecting her to mold a competitive team capable of matching the league’s elite.
Her years of facing players like Wilson and Clark have sharpened her eye for talent and tactics. That experience will serve her well as she shapes Toronto into a team that can eventually stand toe-to-toe with the very stars who once kept her strategizing late into the night.
Two Generations Defining the League
A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark represent two generations of excellence. Wilson embodies the power and discipline of a champion who dominates through maturity and presence. Clark symbolizes the creativity and audacity of the game’s future. Together, they show how far women’s basketball has evolved and how much higher it can go.
Brondello’s admiration captures the truth of coaching at the highest level. Sometimes greatness cannot be contained. Sometimes it must simply be respected. And as the WNBA enters its next chapter with new teams and new stars, the league continues to thrive on the same mix of rivalry and reverence that keeps coaches like Brondello awake at night and fans endlessly captivated.
