The Triumph of the WNBA Baby Boomers: Time for the Liberty to Bring Back Richie Adubato
by Andy Lipton
Two seasons ago it was 63 year-old Dan Hughes who won his first WNBA championship as a head coach, leading the Seattle Storm to a title in his first year with the franchise.
Hughes, who had seemingly left coaching before taking over at Seattle, has coached more games than anyone in the WNBA.
And this past season it was the 70 year-old head coach of the Washington Mystics, Mike Thibault, who won his first WNBA championship.
Thibault holds the record for most wins as a WNBA head coach.
In a league whose identity is not associated with Baby Boomers - hey Madison Ave., can you even imagine Baby Boomers? - this baby boomer found it particular satisfying.
During the recent WNBA Finals, I found myself thinking about Richie Adubato.
Are you listening New York Liberty?
Richie Adubato.
The former head coach of the Liberty who was the franchise’s most successful leader.
Under Coach Adubato, the New York Liberty won the Eastern Conference Title three times, making it to the WNBA Finals three out of his first four seasons with them (1999, 2000, and 2002).
The Liberty missed the playoffs in his fifth season.
His basketball-coaching resume was extensive when he took over the team in 1999, including experience as an NBA head coach.
“ ‘He’s a very good coach,’ veteran forward Sue Wicks said at the time before the Liberty hosted the three-time defending champion Houston Comets in Game 1 at the Garden. ‘He knows how to make changes and that’s such an important thing, the ability to make adjustments mid-stream.’ “ https://nypost.com/2000/08/25/adubato-is-ladies-man-after-coaching-the-boys-richies-made-smooth-transition-to-wnba/
Back then the Liberty captured the imagination of New York City.
It was the franchise's halcyon days. Fans flocked to Madison Square Garden. In 2001, the Liberty averaged approximately 15,000 a game.
During the 2004 season Adubato was fired in the midst of his sixth year.
Adubato was not happy about the firing. He felt it was unjustified. The team was 7-9 at the time.
“I loved coaching those players,'' Adubato said softly. ''I had a chance to go (elsewhere). I had coaching offers in the N.B.A. But I didn't take them because I loved the W.N.B.A. and this team.
I remember, as a fan, being disappointed about the move.
The Liberty’s general manager Carol Blazejowski hired Adubato in 1999 and was the one who fired him.
" ‘We thank Richie for his commitment to the Liberty, he played a big part in our past success, most notably guiding us to three Eastern Conference championships, but we felt that at this time the team needed to go in a different direction,’ " Liberty General Manager Carol Blazejowski said in a statement. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2004-07-04-0407040312-story.html
“In a conference call yesterday morning, Blazejowski cited her disappointment in the team’s slide since a 6-1 start. Over the last seven games, the Liberty has lost by 15 or more points, including Thursday’s 73-47 loss at Sacramento.”
https://nypost.com/2004/07/04/adubato-canned-coyle-takes-reins-in-liberty-shakeup/
“ ‘That’s why this was such a tough decision,’ Blazejowski said. ‘I appreciate the contributions Richie has made to our success. I will say that eight weeks ago, this team had a different direction. And Patty can help this team refocus and get back to winning.’ “https://nypost.com/2004/07/04/adubato-canned-coyle-takes-reins-in-liberty-shakeup/
“ ‘We have to win,’ Blazejowski said. ‘Maybe a new style, a new voice will jump start our team. And I’m confident that Patty Coyle can provide that.’ “
https://nypost.com/2004/07/04/adubato-canned-coyle-takes-reins-in-liberty-shakeup/
The Liberty hasn’t made it back to the WNBA Finals since Adubato led them there in 2002.
I spoke with the personable and colorful Adubato by phone recently.
He is enjoying life in Orlando, Florida and has entered his 14th season as a radio color analyst with the Orlando Magic.
He still feels strongly that he was unjustifiably fired by Blazejowski.
He says he was not given a specific reason for the firing, other than that the team wanted to make a change. He was 66 at the time, but doesn’t believe age was a factor.
Adubato and Blazejowski are both New Jersey natives and were part of the New Jersey basketball scene back in the day and knew each other before Blazejowski hired him.
At the beginning of their sixth season together, Adubato was upset in the way Blazejowski made a particular preseason personnel decision.
He let her know he was unhappy about it, and as he argued with her, he criticized something about her.
Adubato thinks this ruptured the relationship.
Current Las Vegas Aces Assistant Coach Vickie Johnson played for Adubato during his entire tenure in New York.
Johnson loved playing for Adubato. She credits him with teaching her a great deal.
She says he treated the team as professional basketball players, not women.
He was very detailed and organized, and had the players extremely well prepared.
Johnson said his firing was very surprising and disappointing.
But the team hung tough, and they made the playoffs, losing in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Adubato greatly enjoyed coaching the Liberty and looks back fondly on his time with them.
He said his players played hard, intelligently, and together, and were physical.
He remembers the large crowds, and his relatives and friends from New Jersey coming to games at the Garden.
Adubato was a Knicks fan growing up and was an assistant coach with the NBA team from 1982 – 1986. Coaching the Liberty was a homecoming for him.
One special Liberty moment he remembers is Teresa Weatherspoon’s shot from beyond half-court as time ran out to win Game 2 of the 1999 WNBA Finals against the Houston Comets in Texas.
If Weatherspoon missed the shot, the Comets would have won the championship.
Comets fans were poised to celebrate.
Adubato says it’s one of the greatest games with which he’s ever been associated.
After all these years, it’s still one of the most iconic moments in WNBA history even though the Comets would win Game 3 to win the 1999 championship.
Johnson, who was Weatherspoon’s teammate and on the court when the shot went in, also personally witnessed another iconic WNBA moment.
This past season, Johnson was on the Aces’ coaching sidelines when the Aces’ Dearica Hamby hit a game and series winning shot from close to half-court with fives seconds left in the fifth and final game of the second-round playoffs against the Chicago Sky.
In 1999, Adubato was responsible for bringing Becky Hammon to the league.
He brought her in for a tryout as a free agent after a terrific college career at Colorado State University.
Hammon made the Liberty after the tryout and became a six-time All-Star with a long WNBA career.
Hammon recently made history when she became the first full-time female assistant coach in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs.
Fifteen years after Adubato was fired, and five coaches later (Pat Coyle, Anne Donovan, John Whisenant, Bill Laimbeer and Katie Smith) the Liberty is now looking for another head coach after not renewing Katie Smith’s contract.
Time to bring back Richie Adubato as head coach of the Liberty!
Can’t dream on though.
This is not Hollywood and Adubato is not looking to get back into coaching.
But the good news is that Richie is perfectly happy in Orlando.
Hopefully, the Liberty will make their fans happy again.
posted by Mel Greenberg | 3:52 PM
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