Mercury part ways with head coach Nygaard

The Phoenix Mercury announced Sunday they parted ways with head coach Vanessa Nygaard amid a league-worst 2-10 start to the season.

Assistant coach Nikki Blue will serve as interim bench boss for the rest of the campaign.

"We have chosen to make a change at head coach," Mercury general manager Jim Pitman said in a statement. "We thank Vanessa Nygaard for the way she endured and managed the adversity of the last year-plus. Our organization and our fans have high expectations for this team, and we have not reached those with our performance this year."

Nygaard was hired in 2022 after serving as an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces. The Mercury made the playoffs last season but were swept by the eventual champion Aces.

The 48-year-old compiled a 17-31 record over her time with the franchise.

Nygaard started her career as an assistant with Long Beach State and Pepperdine.

The Mercury face the Dallas Wings on Tuesday with tipoff slated for 10 p.m. ET.