LaToya Sanders is taking on new roles in 2021: Coach and mom

Coaching in the WNBA was never a part of LaToya Sanders’ plan. In fact, the plan this season was for 2021 to be her last and hang up her jersey.

Sanders signed her new contract in February and with it, the gang was supposed to get back together for another chance in the Washington Mystics’ title window.

But in a span of three months from her re-signing, the long-time forward retired, joined the Mystics development staff and was promoted to an assistant coach. A rapid career change and a reshuffling of the Mystics organization and roster construction.

“I think I went into (the contract) knowing that this was going to be my last year,” Sanders told NBC Sports Washington. “Overall I still felt healthy but I knew it would have been hard for me to come back to the player that I was in 2019 and beyond just because of all the downtime and trying to get in shape and being older. It was a little bit more difficult to kind of work your body up after not playing for a year. So, initially, I thought I could do it.”

A year ago, Sanders decided to not play in 2020 along with several other players due to coronavirus concerns. Unlike others, she did not get reacclimated to the game by playing overseas as some restrictions were eased over the past handful of months. 

But still, she built a gym in her North Carolina home to get prepared for the season. Yes, at 34 she was going to be in the twilight of her career, yet just a year-and-a-half ago she was a starter on a WNBA Championship team. So, why at that time, with the ink on the playing contract barely dry, choose to retire?

“To be completely honest, I’m going to be a mother in a couple months. That’s really the number one reason why I decided to retire,” Sanders said.

“I didn’t want to take up a spot and waste money, knowing that I couldn’t be out there on the court with my teammates. And obviously, I talked to (Natasha Cloud) and Elena [Delle Donne] and coach (Mike Thibault) about retiring. I know I could have stayed and got paid as a player, but then the salary is still 80% of it would account against the cap and with all the money differences now with the new CBA, I just didn’t want to be a burden and take up room on a roster so that’s why I retired.”

Once retired, Washington immediately brought her on in a player development role, while she also would focus on the team’s social justice initiatives. Neither were exactly a ‘new’ role for her though.

Even though she opted out of 2020, the four-year Mystic was not entirely removed from the team last season. Almost daily she was texting, calling and counseling players while they were competing in the ‘wubble.’ Most notable were her conversations with Myisha Hines-Allen. 

Sanders says they talked before nearly contest. Matchups, player tendencies, how to improve, there were several different discussions the two made. It all led to Hines-Allen breaking through for a huge season, finishing second in the Most Improved Player vote.

Was it a precursor to what was to come? Perhaps. Her coaches and former coaches all told her that her coaching skills were innate in her demeanor. From Mike and Eric Thibault to former Mystics assistant, now Indiana Fever head coach, Marianne Stanley, they all expressed to Sanders that her next career could be in coaching.

“I guess it was kind of a natural fit, I came in as a player development to see ‘Alright, let me see if I like this. Let me see what I can offer the team and stuff like that outside of merely being on the court,’ and yeah then literally I was here for like 10 days and then got a promotion.”

The promotion was a result of Mystics assistant Asjha Jones — who was also a former player under Mike Thibault — joining the Portland Trail Blazers as the Director of Basketball Strategy. When Jones announced to the team that she was taking on a new role, Sanders was thinking to herself, ‘oh I wonder who they’re going to bring in to replace her,’ not even considering herself as a candidate.

Head coach and general manager Mike Thibault could have easily chosen someone with more experience to join the staff. There are countless qualified former players and assistants available. But, after Sanders began her development position and worked with some players on training camp contracts in one-on-one workouts, there was no need to bring someone else in.

Sanders was in the right place at the right time and she had proven herself in such a short period.

“When it actually officially happened, we talked about as a staff and front office whether we would go outside to get somebody and the consensus was we don’t need to do that,” Mike Thibault said on Mystics media day. “She’s ready. She may not know she’s completely ready, but we all felt that. We watched her, we observed her. She’s proactive in giving her opinion and I just felt she had the composure and the respect of her teammates that if she could start on it right away. It felt very comfortable doing it.”

Sanders — a leader who was always the second to speak, two years removed from a championship and freshly retired — became the team’s second assistant on the bench. 

Already, she’s gone in head-first into her position at training camp. She pulls players aside in practice, holds pre-practice meetings and sessions with players. Once again, she’s the leader of the post players, the only difference this year is Sanders and her wide smile won’t be the starting forward on the floor. 

“I think it’s just a title change I don’t think she’s changing as a person or her demeanor or how she is,” Tina Charles said in a media availability.

“She’s gentle in nature so when she approaches you and when she’s talking to you, you know it’s coming from a good place no matter what she has to say,” roster prospect Jillian Alleyne said. “And I watched her growing up. Even the past couple of years I’ve always liked her game so it’s so cool to just be side by side with her. I’m always trying (to get) one on one information with her and work out with her… Her basketball knowledge is through the roof”

The rapport is there. So is the credibility. For Washington’s two WNBA Finals run, she was the defensive anchor in the post. As a lankier player that didn’t have the same size and offensive abilities as other post players, Sanders turned it into a seven-year career in the WNBA.

A good portion of the roster she’s played with as a teammate. She already has shown that she can help a player (Hines-Allen) achieve their full potential. 

To most, the transition for Sanders has been effortless. Mike Thibault has been impressed, his son and fellow assistant Eric Thibault has been impressed as well. 

“It’s been pretty seamless so far,” Eric Thibault said in a media availability. “Toya is just so well respected as a player amongst this group, always one of those people when she spoke up, people listened. She wasn’t going to waste words and always had always a good insight. I’ve personally been impressed by how willing she has been just to jump into it, to take the post for a post workout, pre-practice or whatever and just get our hands dirty and get in right away with them.”

“Just has a great feel for it, she’s going to be a natural coach.”

As for Sanders, she’s enjoyed every second of her handful of weeks being an assistant coach. The dedication and hours spent in the office were a bit of a surprise. Her only issue is remembering that she’s not the one playing.

“I already have my challenges. There’s sometimes in practice, where the coaches will play defense to help the team like read coverages and stuff like that and then I want to go 100% like I’m actually a player, but then I kind of have to tone it back in real life,” Sanders said. “I’m a coach. I’m not in shape. I’m pregnant. Like I can’t. I can’t just, go back into the old Toya and stuff like that.” I definitely do have my days struggling with still wanting to be a player but knowing that I am fully embracing and taking advantage of my new role post-basketball.”

The last glimpse the public had of the former forward was her walking off the floor a WNBA Champion covered in confetti. Some will see her sitting third on the bench as the Mystics begin to let a limited number of fans in to start the season at the Entertainment and Sports Arena. Most of the Washington fan base will likely see her next after she becomes a mother and is one that is already thriving in her new role in retirement.

“She’s really good at this,” Mike Thibault said. “She is prepared for this and so she’s doing a great job… I think LaToya has been sensational so far.”