Connecticut coach lands Dream job

Sun assistant Collen takes over Atlanta roster.

Nicki Collen was happy as a WNBA assistant coach for the Connecticut Sun, but when she was offered the Atlanta Dream’s head coaching position last week, she knew it was an opportunity too good to pass up.

The offer to become a firsttime head coach was what the Sun’s assistant coach had always dreamed.

“Without sounding too cliché, it was kind of a dream come true,” Collen said. “I’m not sure you ever know you’re ready to be a head coach, but you have that feeling that it’s your time and when things kind of line up, you know, it just kind of felt right. From the ownership to the president, Theresa (Wenzel), and the roster and just being in the league for two years and the opportunity to coach some of the best players in the world ... kind of all the pieces played together.”

A former college player at Pur- due and Marquette, Collen started interviewing for the position in early October through phone calls with Wenzel and owners Kelly Loeffler and Mary Brock. Collen, 42, said last week she took a flight to Atlanta for a faceto-face interview and, to her surprise, was offered the job.

“I was pretty flabbergasted,”

Collen said. “I didn’t expect them to be offered on the interview and it just kind of made it feel very real, very fast and it just kind of showed the commitment level that they have that they felt like I was the best person to lead the Dream forward and kind of made it a lot easier to move forward.”

“Nicki brings impressive basketball and coaching credentials along with great leadership qualities and we are thrilled to welcome her to the Atlanta Dream,” Loeffler and Brock said in a statement. “We believe her strong emphasis on player development alongside a disciplined offensive and defensive system will position our talented team to be a playoff contender.”

While the decision to say “yes” to the job might seem easy, Collen admits it wasn’t without difficulty. After spending the past two seasons learning the secrets to succeeding in the WNBA under coach Curt Miller — whom Collen called her mentor and close friend — leaving that relationship behind was difficult, she said.

“I think sometimes you just have to kind of spread your wings and take on that leadership role,” Collen said.

“I learned so much from Curt. He’s not just a mentor but one of my best friends, and I was lucky to work with him and for him to give me a lot of responsibility and trust with what we did and I think that was a big part of the reason why I know I’m ready for this . ...

“There are 12 (head coaching) jobs in this league. They’re not going to come open that often and they’re pretty special.”

While Collen hasn’t met with her new team yet, she coached a few of the Dream players during the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game. As an Eastern Conference assistant, Collen worked with guard Tiffany Hayes, guard Layshia Clarendon and center Elizabeth Williams.

Collen also spent some time with a younger Angel McCoughtry when she was recruited and signed by Louisville in 2005.

“I think it’s an incredibly talented roster,” Collen said. “There are three All-Stars and that starting lineup from the season and obviously if Angel McCoughtry is coming back you have an Olympian, a legitimate MVP-type player. Lots of great pieces. ... As a coach it’s exciting to think about all the things that I could do, that I could run, offensively, defensively and take advantage of the strengths of the Dream roster.”

The Dream fired coach Michael Cooper on Sept. 5 after four seasons. Cooper had a 63-73 record and coached the Dream to playoff appearances in 2014 and 2016. In 2017 — with McCoughtry sitting out the season — the Dream went 12-22, finished second-tolast in the Eastern Conference and failed to qualify for the playoffs for only the third season in the team’s 10-year existence, and the second time under Cooper.