Liberty Coach Chris DeMarco Says He Expects to Return After Playoff Sweep, but Stars Won’t Vouch for Him

New York Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco said he expects to be back on the bench in 2027, even after his team was swept out of the WNBA semifinals by the Dream in his first season at the helm.

Asked whether he had discussed his future with general manager Jonathan Kolb, DeMarco said, “As far as I know, every communication I’ve had, dialogue I’ve had, the answer is yes.”

DeMarco’s job security is now an open question just one year after he took over a franchise that won its first WNBA championship in 2024. When reporters gave Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart a chance to publicly back DeMarco’s return after the loss, none of them did.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Ionescu said. “Regardless, thankful for him coaching us this year and giving us a chance and we just fell short.”

“Those decisions aren’t ours,” Stewart said. “I think my focus and what I’m thinking about right now is just: missed opportunity.”

Kolb made the call last offseason to part ways with Sandy Brondello, who had led the Liberty to that championship just a year earlier. Kolb has acknowledged he knew the pressure was on to find the right successor, saying at the time he needed to “nail” the hire.

“Ultimately we determined that evolution and innovation is what is needed at this time,” Kolb said when explaining the decision to move on from Brondello.

After a lengthy search, the Liberty settled on DeMarco, a longtime Golden State Warriors assistant. He arrived with limited head-coaching experience, having previously led the Bahamian men’s national team to the brink of the country’s first Olympic basketball berth.

That inexperience showed at points this season, including in his handling of late-game situations and in-game adjustments. A timeout mishap during the Liberty’s Game 2 loss to the Dream was among the most visible examples.

New York finished the regular season 26-18, one win fewer than the previous year, and entered the playoffs as the No. 8 seed, a drop from the No. 5 seed it held in 2025.