The Toronto Tempo, Canada’s only WNBA team, is scheduled for opening tip in May — but will the Tempo’s beat be off?
The league and the players have failed to come to terms on a collective bargaining agreement. The initial deadline was in October but both parties were unable to reach a deal in negotiations despite an extension.
Team president Teresa Resch said in a recent interview that the team was looking towards a permanent practice facility, getting input from the community and fans on a mascot, and how they are working to solidify a local broadcast deal: the first in history for Canada.
The Tempo arrived with much fanfare and excitement. They appointed general manager Monica Wright Rogers in February 2025 and announced head coach Sandy Brondello in November.
Brondello came off leading the New York Liberty (2022-2025) and previously coached the Phoenix Mercury (2014-2021). Brondello won championships with both teams.
As of December, the team has over thirty staff members, but no players — yet.
On Wednesday, however, the team announced it is schedule to play its inaugural game on May 8 against the Washington Mystics in Toronto.
In an exclusive conversation with CBC Sports, Brondello said that at the moment, she’s focused on “controlling the controllables.”
Having over 20 years of coaching experience, Brondello is taking on this role in an unprecedented moment in stride.
“We can do the preparation behind the scenes,” she told CBC Sports in studio. “We’re out watching a lot of the college games. We’re strategizing what the expansion draft could look like and potential players that we could have on. We’re targeting the free agents who we feel that we have a really good shot at.”
Preparation amid potential work stoppage
Strategy and planning becomes essential until the time that she has a squad. Brondello admitted there will be a very short amount of time between the acquisition of players and the beginning of the season, if the league isn’t pushed to work stoppage.
“And when the CBA does get done, and hopefully does get done sooner than later, it’d be nice to have a player,” she said.
“We don’t know what kind of style [we] want to play. I don’t know. I don’t have any players yet. I know I have a vision of how I want to play. But until that, we just work really hard and prepare the best we can and be ready when it really does happen, because it will happen quick.”
Brondello says that despite this being a situation that makes the Tempo’s debut season a little more complicated, her expertise has helped her navigate and be prepared for all challenges.
“I suppose my experiences working with different teams has helped shape me, like, what works [and] what doesn’t work? That doesn’t mean it’s always been perfect, but I mean, what a great opportunity to learn from those situations.”
The former professional player and two-time league champion has said that she cares deeply for her players as people and describes herself as a “players coach” and builds off of her own experience being an athlete.
Brondello is married to basketball coach Olaf Lange, who was part of her coaching staff with the New York Liberty. The couple has two kids and are still based in Phoenix, a decision they made as to not uproot their family more than necessary.
Her focus in Toronto is to ensure that there is cohesiveness on the court and off.
“I do a lot of activities and team building with my players, because I think the more that they can get connected off the court and be more vulnerable and open about who we are … we come together as one.”
Building a culture from scratch
She is interested in building culture around the team and not just her own version; the team’s version.
“We’re building from scratch, and that includes the culture. You know, we’re building our culture from the beginning. We’re building the legacy of this new team, which is very exciting, because we can have a footprint on that.”
The Tempo will join two other professional women’s teams, AFC Toronto (NSL) and the Toronto Sceptres (PWHL). She met AFC Toronto coach Marko Milanovic during a previous visit.
Brondello knows how important it is to have the fans and a city behind you. The heavy culture of women’s sports in Toronto was something that Brondello considered before accepting the position. Her belief in using women’s basketball as means to empower women aligned with what the Tempo has to offer.
She becomes part of an ecosystem in professional women’s sports that will continue to be strengthened across Canada.
Brondello said that she loves the diversity of Toronto and it reminds her of her native Australia. She also noted that people in Canada are more “friendly,” but noted that the size of Toronto surprised her, and so did the amount of traffic.
Brondello has not yet had an opportunity to travel extensively across Canada but is looking forward to exploring and learning. She has yet to try poutine and said that she would prefer it to vegemite.
Brondello is lively, authentic and candid in her coaching philosophy. To the young women across the country aspiring to be basketball players or professional coaches, she offers simple and honest advice about authenticity.
“What you see is what you get from me,” she says. “I’m trying to be the best person that I can be. I’m going to have some failure, obviously, but I’m a quick learner. But don’t be something that you’re not.
“Be your authentic self.”
