A decision like that starts with building trust, and similarly to building a roster of players, trust is usually best established through continuity. Since becoming the Mercury\u2019s head coach ahead of the 2024 season, Tibbetts has retained some key voices from his original bench while also welcoming new assistants into the fold this season.<\/p>\n
Notably, Toliver, a 14-year WNBA veteran and Phoenix\u2019s associate head coach, and assistant coach Megan Vogel<\/a> return alongside Tibbetts for a third season in 2026. First-year additions TC Swirsky, a former NBA G League head coach, and Tangela Smith<\/a>, another former WNBA veteran, round out Phoenix\u2019s staff.\u00a0<\/p>\n Future head coaches<\/p>\n Tibbetts\u2019 willingness to delegate stems largely from his own path to Phoenix. Before taking over the Mercury, he spent 12 seasons as an NBA assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic. Entering the women\u2019s game for the first time with Phoenix, Tibbetts knew how important it would be for assistants to have their voices trusted and their responsibilities expanded, rather than simply carrying out orders from above.<\/p>\n \u201cAnytime you work for a head coach that has been an assistant, it\u2019s just helpful because they get it,\u201d Vogel told The IX Sports. \u201cThey\u2019ve been in your shoes; they understand that everybody\u2019s being pulled in a lot of different directions. He hired everybody for a particular job, and he empowers them to just go do it. He\u2019s not a micromanager. He is not someone that\u2019s watching you like a hawk all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n Vogel, who arrived in Phoenix after more than a decade at the collegiate level, lives her own basketball journey that features many of the qualities Tibbetts values in his staff: experience, adaptability and leadership.\u00a0<\/p>\n Just like he would do with Toliver less than a week later, Tibbetts stepped aside during a preseason game against the Chicago Sky in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, handing the clipboard to Vogel for much of the second half. The moment carried extra meaning in what was a shared homecoming \u2014 Tibbetts, the South Dakota native, and Vogel, a former standout at South Dakota State \u2014 as Tibbetts put his philosophy into action, giving one of his assistants a rare chance to experience the pressures and responsibilities of leading a WNBA team from the head chair.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn a moment that should have been his, and rightfully so, he chose to share it,\u201d Vogel said. \u201cI will remember that not because I had a chance to coach in a W game. I will remember that because I hope that I get to do that for someone someday.\u201d<\/p>\n Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women\u2019s Sports Daily<\/strong> For a head coach, moments like that require a level of security and selflessness that can be difficult to find in a profession built on pressure, ego and results. Tibbetts spent years climbing toward his own opportunity to lead a team, yet the fact that he\u2019s shown little hesitation in temporarily stepping away from that spotlight to elevate the people beside him is the ultimate sign of partnership, especially knowing that both Toliver and Vogel could become head coaches elsewhere sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it shows your team that you trust your assistants, because I do,\u201d Tibbetts said. \u201cI mean, those guys work their tail off for me, and I love what they bring. It\u2019s just a great opportunity. I think it\u2019s good for our players to see, and it\u2019s just good for the league to see that these are two potential head coaches in the future. Somebody\u2019s got to give them a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n Toliver\u2019s name has already surfaced prominently in those conversations. The Maryland Terrapins and WNBA legend was considered a finalist this offseason for the New York Liberty\u2019s highly sought-after head coaching vacancy, and around league circles, it\u2019s come as a shock that Toliver isn\u2019t a WNBA head coach already.<\/p>\n \u201cTC was here for like three days, and he looked at me and said, \u2018[Toliver] is not going to be here long,\u2019\u201d Tibbetts said. \u201cI\u2019m hoping other teams keep making mistakes and not hire her. I\u2019m super excited that she\u2019s back.\u201d<\/p>\n Vogel, too, hopes to one day lead a team herself, though her name may not float around head coaching rumors as much as Toliver\u2019s. Still, being within a culture like Phoenix\u2019s and taking advantage of the opportunities and advocacy Tibbetts is giving could go a long way.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s inside of me, a dream of mine, obviously,\u201d Vogel said of becoming a head coach. \u201cNow that I\u2019ve been at this level, to have an opportunity to lead a team one day would be great. But I\u2019ll be honest, I am so happy where my feet are, being a part of this organization and learning from Nate. I want to keep learning and keep growing, so that whenever that time comes, I feel prepared and ready for that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n For now, Vogel and Toliver remain in Phoenix. Vogel has been able to tap into her background coaching at the collegiate level, making her a valuable resource in player development and scouting. She also assists heavily with Phoenix\u2019s offense alongside Tibbetts, helping organize game plans and implementing the offensive principles that have become central to the Mercury\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n Toliver, meanwhile, entered this season with an entirely new challenge. After spending the previous two years focusing on the offense, Tibbetts assigned her to the defensive side of the ball for this season. It was a move intentionally done to utilize Toliver\u2019s vast knowledge of the game, while also expanding her r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n \u201cMichael Joiner, who was our defensive coordinator the last two years, left to go to Seattle, so obviously, somebody needed to step in and fill that void,\u201d Toliver explained to The IX Sports. \u201cWhat Nate was thinking \u2014 especially with whatever comes next, potential head coaching jobs \u2014 is I\u2019ve done the offense, I\u2019ve done the player development, and now, coaching defense will kind of complete that circle of responsibility.<\/p>\n \u201cI love defense,\u201d she added. \u201cI\u2019ve always been a pretty good help defender and a smart defender, so I\u2019ve always had good principles. Just knowing what these teams are and knowing this league, I see things that we can do and trends that are happening. It\u2019s been really fun.\u201d<\/p>\n The transition already appears to fit naturally. Through the Mercury\u2019s opening stretch of games, Toliver\u2019s fingerprints have been visible in both scheme and emotion. Every loose ball, every scramble rotation and every energized defensive stop draws an animated reaction from both the players on the court and Toliver on the sideline, as if the competitive fire that defined her playing career has simply shifted into a different role.<\/p>\n Toliver talks about the Mercury in a way that still sounds like someone fully invested in the present, despite the very clear fact that it\u2019s only a matter of time before she will part ways with Tibbetts to be the captain of her own ship. She\u2019s energized by the day-to-day work, the relationships inside the building and the chance to help guide a roster she believes can compete for a championship.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI know I\u2019m capable. I know I\u2019m ready,\u201d Toliver said. \u201cI\u2019m excited for whenever that opportunity presents itself. I\u2019ve done the interview process the last two years, and going into it every single time, I always felt great, because I felt like if I got it, terrific, if I didn\u2019t get it, I\u2019m extremely happy where I am.<\/p>\n \u201cEven this year, going after the New York job and being a finalist, and when I didn\u2019t end up getting it, the first thing I said was, \u2018Well, now I still have an opportunity to help [Alyssa Thomas<\/a>] win her first championship.\u2019 That was the first thing that came to mind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecoming Caitlin Clark\u201d<\/strong> is out now!<\/strong><\/p>\n Howard Megdal\u2019s newest book is here! \u201cBecoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar\u201d captures both the historic nature of Clark\u2019s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.<\/p>\n Next in line<\/p>\n With two open spots on the Mercury bench ahead of the 2026 season, Tibbetts could\u2019ve gone a variety of different ways in choosing his final assistants. In the end, he chose Smith, who mirrored the prototype of Toliver as a former WNBA star, and Swirsky, whose path resembles Tibbetts\u2019 own as a former G League head coach and NBA assistant.<\/p>\n In fact, Tibbetts and Swirsky\u2019s paths crossed in the NBA when Swirsky worked as a video coordinator for a Portland staff that included Tibbetts as an assistant. After moving on to become an assistant for the Memphis Grizzlies, and later the head coach of the G League\u2019s Memphis Hustle, Swirsky received the call to reunite with Tibbetts in Phoenix. Just like his mentor, it\u2019s his first coaching opportunity in the women\u2019s game.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s done it all. Been in the video room, been an assistant,\u201d Tibbetts said of Swirsky in his first media availability of training camp. \u201cAnd then he\u2019s also been a head coach in the G-League. I think that\u2019s extremely important, just to feel that. I don\u2019t care where you are as a head coach, if you feel the same things I feel, that\u2019s very valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was like the lowest guy on the totem pole in Portland,\u201d Swirsky told The IX Sports. \u201cAnd one thing I remember about [Tibbetts] was how inclusive he was. He was very detailed and development-driven. He always took time to include me in drills or different workouts. In meetings, he would ask me questions I had no business answering. He was somebody that was just easy to connect with because he genuinely cared.\u201d<\/p>\n Swirsky, whose primary role so far has been working with the Mercury\u2019s guards, has said the adjustment has been smooth so far \u2014 albeit with some difficulty learning everybody\u2019s names before camp started.\u00a0<\/p>\n Both he and Tibbetts have pointed to their G League backgrounds as being valuable sources of preparation for the unpredictable nature of the professional game, particularly in a league like the WNBA, where roster overhaul and quick turnarounds often force coaches to adapt on the fly.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn the G League, you get your roster maybe a week before the season starts,\u201d Swirsky said. \u201cYou have to figure out training camp very quickly with the pieces you have \u2014 very similar to here, where you have people coming in and out from overseas. \u2026 More so for me specifically, just being a head coach, knowing how he\u2019s probably feeling in some of these meetings, going into a game, after a game, just being able to be somebody that he could lean on or understand what\u2019s going through his mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Smith\u2019s experience as a former player further adds to the diverse range of backgrounds on the staff, helping to fill in gaps of knowledge that complement Tibbetts. She has been working closely with Phoenix\u2019s bigs this season, playing a huge part in the growth of center Natasha Mack<\/a>, while also aiming to get the most out of newcomers like Kyara Linskens<\/a>.<\/p>\n In her 15-year WNBA career, Smith won two championships with the Mercury as a player in 2007 and 2009. She currently ranks sixth in franchise history in blocks, eighth in rebounds and 10th in points. This season in Phoenix marks her first as a coach in the WNBA, although she spent over a decade as one in college for Western Michigan and Northwestern.<\/p>\n \u201cTangela is someone I tried to get two years ago when I got the job,\u201d Tibbetts said. \u201cAny time you can have former players around and on your staff \u2014 they just got a great feel and sense of how this works \u2014 I\u2019m excited to see what she can do with our bigs.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps Tibbetts is trying to prepare Smith in a similar way he did Toliver, with both being veterans with a wealth of expertise in the game. That approach has already proven what it can unlock.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great to not be the only former player on the staff,\u201d Toliver said. \u201cShe\u2019s the type of coach and person that, when she walks in the building, it puts a smile on your face. \u2026 When I look over and see her arms wrapped around somebody, I know something meaningful and impactful is happening. That\u2019s just the presence she has as a coach, and it was the same way when she was a player \u2014 very low-key, low-maintenance, knows her stuff, and somebody you can always go and talk to.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think just based off experience \u2014 me playing a long time ago and winning those championships \u2014 I can just pour into the players that are already here, and just give them my experience,\u201d Smith said during preseason. \u201cBut I think it\u2019s very important just to have a winning mentality overall, and I think that this team has it already. For me, it\u2019s just coming full circle, and to win another championship would be just great.\u201d<\/p>\n Order \u2018Rare Gems\u2019 and save 30%
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We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women\u2019s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women\u2019s sports news and analysis. Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to subscribe!<\/p>\n![\"Nate](\"https:\/\/www.theixsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/USATSI_28813917-1024x683.jpg\")
Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts high fives assistant coaches Megan Vogel and TC Swirsky after winning against the Chicago Sky on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. (Photo Credit: Samantha Laurey | Argus Leader\/Imagn Images)<\/p>\n![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Untitled-design-13.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Kahleah](\"https:\/\/www.theixsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_3753-1024x880.jpg\")
Phoenix Mercury assistant coach TC Swirsky analyzes film with Mercury guard Kahleah Copper during pregame warmups before a game against the Minnesota Lynx at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 12, 2026. (Photo Credit: Dylan Kane | The IX Sports)<\/p>\n
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Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The IX Basketball and The IX Sports, wrote this deeply reported book. \u201cRare Gems\u201d follows four connected generations of women\u2019s basketball pioneers, from Elvera \u201cPeps\u201d Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.<\/p>\n