New NY Liberty coach Chris DeMarco praises Warriors during introductory press conference

The New York Liberty officially introduced Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco as the WNBA franchise s new head coach on Wednesday afternoon During his half-hour news conference DeMarco outlined his coaching philosophy and coaching ethos It is a foundation that he reported was influenced by both his time with Golden State and as head coach of the Bahamas men s national unit I was raised the right way in the right way of life by Steve Kerr DeMarco advised reporters I ve grown as a coach and I want to do the same for anybody else on my staff He began his Golden State career as a video intern in and eventually became one of Kerr s lead assistants After almost years with the Warriors DeMarco was ready to take the next step in his career I ve spent a lot of time on the defensive side of the ball as a coach and started to develop offensively DeMarco mentioned I ve done participant advancement I ve been a video coordinator I ve been a scout and done everything I can outside of being a head coach in the NBA Now DeMarco will get his chance to lead a franchise that won the WNBA title in and features stars such as Walnut Creek s Sabrina Ionescu the Bahamas Jonquel Jones and the uber-talented Breanna Stewart They are players who DeMarco compared to the stars from Golden State s heyday That s what I saw over and over again with the Steph Currys the Draymond Greens the Klay Thompsons and all the veterans we would bring in these guys are all pros and they all would teach the younger players how to work DeMarco reported After a disappointing first-round exit this autumn the Liberty fired Sandy Brondello But the star-studded core remains I m very excited mainly because of the championship pedigree DeMarco reported For those who have won at the highest level it s so hard to get there We have an organization that s been there and a group full of players who have been there Ionescu attended the Warriors home event against the Jazz on Nov and she and DeMarco were seen talking before and after the Warriors win Sabrina Ionescu left with her husband Hroniss Grasu far left chats with Golden State Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco before the Warriors meeting against the Utah Jazz at the Chase Center in San Francisco Calif on Monday Nov Nhat V Meyer Bay Area News Group DeMarco explained his last challenge with the Warriors will be Dec when the organization visits Brooklyn s Barclays Center where the Liberty and the NBA s Nets play Related Articles Warriors cut ties with rookie Alex Toohey who was part of NBA-record Kevin Durant agreement Kurtenbach The Warriors Jonathan Kuminga saga only ends with losers Warriors Jonathan Kuminga describes relationship with Kerr after benching Warriors instant analysis Jimmy Butler leads winning effort in return to Chicago Warriors instant analysis Pat Spencer leads ragtag group to stunning win over Cavs During the hiring process DeMarco explained he spoke with Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase as well as Phoenix Mercury general manager and former Warriors coach Nick U ren and current Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts DeMarco will join the organization during a tumultuous time in the growing league s history The owners and the players union are embroiled in contentious negotiations over the WNBA s next collective bargaining agreement and a lockout is a possibility However he also joins a band that despite the uncertainty should have as talented a core as there is in the WNBA The foundation is there and when you have players who have already won it s such a competitive advantage in any league DeMarco explained