The Los Angeles Sparks have a new head coach.
The Sparks named current Utah women’s basketball coach Lynne Roberts their next head coach on Tuesday night. Roberts will leave her post with the Utes immediately to jump to the WNBA, and associate head coach Gavin Petersen will take over in Salt Lake City.
“I am honored to be named the next head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks,” Roberts said in a statement. “I want to thank our ownership group for this incredible opportunity … The Sparks have a talented roster with tremendous upside, and we will compete tirelessly for WNBA championships. I believe Los Angeles should be the premier market in the WNBA, and I’m eager to partner with our players and front office to make this happen.”
The Sparks parted ways with Miller earlier this fall after a rough season that was supposed to mark the start of a rebuild. The team selected Cameron Brink with the No. 2 overall pick and Rickea Jackson with the No. 4 pick in last year’s draft, but Brink tore her ACL in June and missed the entire season.
The Sparks then finished last in the WNBA standings at 8-32. Miller finished just 22-55 in his two seasons with the organization. He was hired last week as the new vice president and general manager of the Dallas Wings, who will have the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft.
Roberts has spent the last 19 years at the college level, first at Pacific before she was hired at Utah in 2015. The Utes have made the NCAA tournament in each of the past three seasons, and they won the Pac-12 regular season title in 2023. They were knocked out of the second round of the tournament by Gonzaga last year.
Utah got off to a 3-1 start this season, with its only loss coming to Northwestern last week. Roberts will finish with a 165-116 overall record with the Utes.
“Lynne Roberts did an exceptional job elevating our women’s basketball program to a championship level, and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with her over my six-plus years at Utah,” athletic director Mark Harlan said in a statement. “She took our program to unbelievable heights, and made an incredible impact as a leader in our athletics department. Lynne, Katelin and their family have become great friends, and Carolyn and I will miss them very much. And while it is very difficult to see her move on, I am excited for her new coaching challenge and I wish her great success.”
Roberts will now be tasked with turning the Sparks around after what has been a rough stretch in Southern California. The franchise, which won its third championship in 2016 under coach Brian Agler, has missed the playoffs in each of the last four seasons and has failed to have a winning record over that span.
Roberts and the Sparks will have the No. 2 overall pick in the WNBA Draft next summer, however, and Brink is expected to be healthy in time for the start of the season — both of which should help significantly next season. With Jackson coming off a strong rookie campaign and veteran Dearica Hamby still in her prime, Roberts looks like she’ll be in a solid starting point this spring.