NEW YORK – New York Liberty Head Coach Bill Laimbeer, whose team finished a league-best 23-11 to complete the most successful regular season in franchise history, is the recipient of the 2015 WNBA Coach of the Year Award, the WNBA announced today.  This marks the second such honor for Laimbeer, who also won in 2003 with the Detroit Shock.

Laimbeer received 23 votes from a national panel of 39 sportswriters and broadcasters.  First-year Indiana Fever Head Coach Stephanie White finished second with seven votes and Fred Williams of the Tulsa Shock was third with six.  One vote each went to 2010 Coach of the Year Brian Agler of the Los Angeles Sparks, 2014 winner Sandy Brondello of the Phoenix Mercury, and Pokey Chatman of the Chicago Sky.

In Laimbeer’s third season at the helm, the Liberty secured the No. 1 overall seed in the WNBA Playoffs presented by Boost Mobile for the first time in team history.  New York opens the postseason against the Washington Mystics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Friday, Sept. 18 (7 p.m. ET, NBA TV).

Under Laimbeer’s tutelage, a revamped Liberty roster improved on last year’s 15-19 record to make the playoffs for the first time since 2012 and clinch the top spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2002.  With offseason acquisitions such as Epiphanny Prince, Brittany Boyd, Kiah Stokes, Tanisha Wright, and Carolyn Swords joining former league MVP Tina Charles, New York led the WNBA in defensive field goal percentage (.393) and points allowed (71.1 ppg).

Behind a stingy defense and standout seasons from Charles (who was third in voting for the 2015 WNBA Most Valuable Player Award presented by Samsung) and Prince (eighth in MVP voting), New York posted a league-best 11-6 road record and produced its first five-game winning streak since 2010.  In addition, the Liberty swept the two-game season series with the Mercury for the first time since 2012, took both games from the Sparks for the first time since 2010, and went 2-0 against the Minnesota Lynx for the first time since 2007.

Laimbeer’s other WNBA Coach of the Year honor came in his first full season guiding the Shock, which went a league-best 25-9 in 2003 after finishing 9-23 the previous season.  He spent parts of eight seasons as the Shock’s head coach and general manager, lifting Detroit to a 137-93 (.596) record and winning WNBA championships in 2003, 2006, and 2008.  He then worked for two seasons as an NBA assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2009-2011) before returning to the WNBA with the Liberty in 2013.

Laimbeer played 14 NBA seasons and won back-to-back titles with the Pistons in 1989 and 1990.  The four-time NBA All-Star finished his career with 13,790 points and 10,400 rebounds, retiring in 1993 as one of 19 players in league history to eclipse 10,000 in both categories.  Detroit retired his No. 40 jersey in 1995.

Below are the voting results for the 2015 WNBA Coach of the Year Award as well as a list of past recipients:

2015 WNBA COACH OF THE YEAR RESULTS

Votes        Coach                                     Team
23              Bill Laimbeer                         New York Liberty
  7              Stephanie White                      Indiana Fever
6              Fred Williams                          Tulsa Shock
1              Brian Agler                              Los Angeles Sparks
1              Sandy Brondello                     Phoenix Mercury
1              Pokey Chatman                      Chicago Sky

WNBA COACH OF THE YEAR WINNERS

2015          Bill Laimbeer                         New York Liberty
2014          Sandy Brondello                     Phoenix Mercury
2013          Mike Thibault                          Washington Mystics
2012          Carol Ross                              Los Angeles Sparks
2011          Cheryl Reeve                          Minnesota Lynx
2010          Brian Agler                              Seattle Storm
2009          Marynell Meadors                   Atlanta Dream
2008          Mike Thibault                          Connecticut Sun
2007          Dan Hughes                            San Antonio Silver Stars
2006          Mike Thibault                          Connecticut Sun
2005          John Whisenant                      Sacramento Monarchs
2004          Suzie McConnell-Serio           Minnesota Lynx
2003          Bill Laimbeer                           Detroit Shock
2002          Marianne Stanley                    Washington Mystics
2001          Dan Hughes                            Cleveland Rockers
2000          Michael Cooper                      Los Angeles Sparks
1999          Van Chancellor                       Houston Comets
1998          Van Chancellor                       Houston Comets
1997          Van Chancellor                       Houston Comets