Games in the WNBA are a chaotic mess, screaming, sweating, swirling tempest of bodies and noise and pure, unadulterated pressure. And then there is the Los Angeles Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts.
She stands in the eye of the hurricane, a statue of serenity. Her high heels are planted firmly on the sideline wood. Her arms are crossed, a fortress of focus. Her eyes, sharp and unblinking, she sees everything. She sees the missed switch. She sees the developing play. She sees three moves ahead in a game that moves at the speed of sound.
She does not scream. She does not flail. She does not panic. She watches. Pensively.
Sometimes she squats, a calculated descent into the fray, her gaze never wavering. She is a CEO analyzing a quarterly report, a surgeon assessing a critical procedure. The fate of the Los Angeles Sparks rests in her hands, and her hands remain perfectly, impossibly still. This is Roberts’ unflappability. This is the calm that has willed a team into contention.
“If I’m emotional, then the players are going to be, right,” Roberts says, her logic as steady as her sideline demeanor. “If I get really high and really low, then I can’t expect them to be steady.”
Her philosophy is not just a coaching tactic. It is the foundation of the team. Winners of 12 of their last 17, the Sparks have improved and transformed. They have obliterated last season’s win total. As the league’s leading scoring team, they win with blowouts, they win with ease, and now, most importantly, they are learning to win the close ones. They are learning not to flinch because their coach never does.
“We talk about in the huddles… just the mentality of learning how to win and not panicking,” Roberts explains. “I try to lead that by example.” And what an example it is. In the final frantic minutes, when other coaches are drawing frantic plays, Roberts often does the opposite. She trusts. She believes in the system she built and the players she empowered. “I’m a believer in, you know, if there’s 15 seconds or less not to call a timeout,” she says, a heresy in a profession obsessed with control. “It takes the coaching out… players make plays.”
It is the ultimate sign of confidence. It is the final, quiet command from a leader who knows that composure is contagious. Her stillness spreads to her players. It settles them. It empowers them. Rising Sparks star Rickea Jackson, speaks of a team with “no egos,” a team that can criticize each other without hurt feelings. This is a direct reflection of the woman on the sideline-a coach who values steady thought over fiery emotion. The players see her. They see the crossed arms, the thoughtful squat, the unwavering gaze. They see a coach who is always, always thinking about what’s next.
“I’m always thinking about what’s next,” Roberts confirms. “In terms of defense, offense, subbing… it helps me be just a better coach, I think, to just stay steady.”
The result is a team that mirrors its leader. They were down nine to zero at the start a recent game. They did not panic. They kept shooting. They kept swinging. “Just keep swinging,” is Roberts’ mantra. “It’s gonna be fine.”
And now, it is more than acceptable. It is a revelation. The Sparks are a force, a team built not on flash but on foundation, a team whose greatest strength is the unshakable woman on the sideline.
She is the stillness in their storm. She is the reason they believe. And as the playoff push intensifies, her calm will be their compass, her resolve, their guide.
The Sparks are currently 17-18 which puts them in nineth place in the WNBA standings. Eight teams make the playoffs and with only nine games remaining in the regular season every game is like a playoff game.
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