Mercury name Nygaard head coach

The Phoenix Mercury named Vanessa Nygaard their next head coach, the team announced Monday.

Nygaard already had conversations with current Mercury players following her hiring, according to The Athletic's Chantel Jennings.

The 46-year-old Arizona native most recently worked as an assistant coach with the Las Vegas Aces last season. In her playing career, she starred at Stanford before spending five seasons in the WNBA from 1999-2003.

Phoenix is coming off a strong season in which it fell short to the Chicago Sky in the WNBA Finals. The team's roster still features a number of top-tier players, including Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, and Skylar Diggins-Smith.