In late March, the Los Angeles Sparks and head coach Curt Miller announced their coaching and support staff for the upcoming season. Miller is building continuity and fostering a hard-working culture entering his second year leading the team.
Camille Smith (formerly Camille Little) is a new assistant coach in LA after she spent the past two seasons as head coach at Paul Quinn College in Dallas, Texas. She played 13 seasons in the WNBA after being drafted by the San Antonio Silver Stars in 2007, then spent time with the Atlanta Dream, Seattle Storm, Connecticut Sun and Phoenix Mercury throughout her career. She won a WNBA championship with Seattle in 2010.
She played for Miller in Connecticut, reuniting the two during their coaching careers.
“Camille is a decorated veteran of our league,” Miller told Winsidr in an interview. “A really respected veteran, someone that showed up each and every night. I loved coaching her. She was tremendous on the defensive side of the ball. Really smart player, an elite X’s and O’s mind. I knew if she got into coaching, she’d be someone that I’d be drawn to work with.”
Smith last played in the WNBA in 2019. Miller mentioned she can relate to current players as someone that recently walked in their shoes. He highlighted that Smith rarely missed games, so there’s nobody better to talk with Sparks players about the grind and the challenges of showing up each night. Especially in a season that coincides with the Olympics, WNBA teams will play an expedited cadence of games to accommodate international play.
Smith’s relatability and recent WNBA experience helps young players ease into the league or veterans adjust to a new situation or role. The Sparks owned the No. 2 and No. 4 overall picks in the first-round of the 2024 draft, choosing Cameron Brink out of Stanford and Rickea Jackson of Tennessee, respectively. In one night, the Sparks added two building blocks to center their rebuild around. Smith gathered vast amounts of experience throughout her playing career, shaping up to be a great mentor to two new players under her wing.
Coaching Connections
Miller paid close attention to this year’s NCAA Tournament for another reason too.Â
Nicki Collen, Baylor head coach, and Chris Koclanes, USC assistant coach, met in the Sweet 16. The two spent time on Miller’s first coaching staff in Connecticut, even coaching in the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game together. Collen then left the Sun to take the head coaching job for the Atlanta Dream and went on to win the WNBA Coach of the Year award in 2018. She was hired as Baylor’s head coach in 2021.Â
Koclanes was Miller’s co-pilot in both Connecticut and Los Angeles, spending last season as the Sparks’ defensive coordinator, before returning to the college ranks to join USC’s staff this season. He served as video coordinator for USC from 2015, while also working in a similar role with the Sun, until he was promoted to assistant coach for Connecticut in 2019.
When the Bears and Trojans took care of business in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, Miller hopped on a flight to Portland, Oregon, to support his former staff members.
As I pack up to go support 2 of my former asst coaches facing off in the Sweet 16, it is fun to think about our great times in CT. Seems like yesterday we were coaching in the W All-Star game. Good luck to @NickiCollen and @Chris_Ko_ I have both my USC & Baylor t-shirts packed. pic.twitter.com/4sUqDUbk85
— Curt Miller (@CurtMillerWBB) March 29, 2024
“Two of the most talented assistant coaches that I’ve ever worked with,” Miller said of Collen and Koclanes before his trip to the Sweet 16.
“It’s just really special to watch,” he continued. “I’m a proud friend and proud former head coach with them.”
Earlier in their coaching careers, Miller and Collen also worked together as assistant coaches on Tom Collen’s (Nicki’s husband) staff at Colorado State. Another member of that staff was Raegan Pebley, who was hired as the Sparks’ general manager in January.
Pebley and Miller now have a longstanding relationship, going back 25 years and staying in touch throughout that time. She was most recently the head coach at TCU from 2014 through 2023, before heading to Los Angeles. During her time at TCU, she also served as the television analyst for the Dallas Wings from 2016-23. She was drafted into the WNBA 21st overall by the Utah Starzz in 1997 and then played for the Cleveland Rockers in 1998.
Now, they get to work hand in hand to move the Sparks forward with Pebley leading the front office and Miller leading the team from the sideline.
“The tradition and legacy of the Sparks has played a key role in the current trajectory and growth we are seeing in women’s sports,” Pebley said in a statement after she was hired as Sparks GM. “I am eager to partner with our players, front office, coaching staff and community as we foster a culture where our players are resourced with all the tools they need as they courageously chase the best version of themselves and compete for WNBA championships.”
Miller is excited about her role as the new GM and said she has already jumped in feet first and done a terrific job, especially now with a pivotal draft behind them. He’s eager to work closely together after years of supporting one another.
Miller Sparked a New Direction
Now, training camp is on the immediate horizon for the Sparks. Camp is expedited this year to account for the midseason Olympic break. It’s the shortest in WNBA history. Miller and his staff have to throw a full season’s playbook at players who may be coming straight from college play, where they previously had months to prepare for each season.
WNBA training camp begins on April 28 and the regular season starts on May 14, giving just 15 days to prep as a full team. Within that period, some days will have exhibition games and others are held for days off, providing even less time to digest an entire playbook and new style for some players.
“Anyone that comes into this league–the toughest professional league to make in the world–it just is,” Miller said. “Their heads are going to be spinning.”
“I ask [players]to be really open-minded and try to be a student of the game. And not get overwhelmed, not be afraid to ask questions. And most importantly when we get on the court, not be afraid to make mistakes early on because they’ll learn from those mistakes.”
Along with Smith, Neil Harrow and Nola Henry will be on the Sparks’ bench as assistant coaches this season. Harrow joins LA from the collegiate ranks, where he spent the past two seasons as associate head coach for James Madison University. He also served as an advanced scout under Miller for the Connecticut Sun from 2021-22 and for the Sparks in 2023.
Henry enters her second season with the Sparks and fourth overall in the WNBA, where she served as player development coach last season. She was also part of Miller’s staff in Connecticut as the assistant basketball operations manager.
Steve Smith, the longtime WNBA assistant and scout, is returning to the Sparks this season in a new role as the special assistant to the head coach and general manager. This season will be his fifth working alongside Miller. Danielle Viglione also returns to the Sparks, now as the director of player development. She’s also the director of player development at Athletes Unlimited, where she worked with Sparks players Lexie Brown, Rae Burrell, Zia Cooke and Layshia Clarendon over the past two seasons.
Miller’s 2024 staff is a mixture of returners and exciting additions. He ensured there was continuity within his staff, which he believes is a critical part of building a program. He’s attracted to coaches that grind and put in a ton of hours, just like himself. The high volume of work is never an issue because of their passionate love for the game, which allows them to pour into their players, building the collective step by step.
The Sparks’ 2024 coaching staff are ready to bring the three-time WNBA champion, and one of the league’s original franchises, back to the main stage.
