TORONTO — Injuries and losses piled up in the second half of the Toronto Tempo’s first season in the WNBA, but the players felt fortunate to be part of the team’s debut and feel the fans’ support. The players and head coach Sandy Brondello reflected on the team’s first season Saturday after concluding an 11-33 campaign with a loss to the Connecticut Sun two days earlier “The thing that you will never forget is that you were part of this first season, this first team for Canada,” Tempo point guard Julie Allemand said. “It’s a special thing, and that’s the thing that I want to keep in mind.” After opening with a promising 7-5 start, standout guard Brittney Sykes went down with a nagging left foot injury. Satou Sabally (soft tissue) then missed significant time, as did first-round draft pick Kiki Rice (ankle), Marie Conde (back), Allemand (left ankle, headaches) and Marina Mabrey (hip, neck and right adductor). Toronto finished the season with eight straight losses and just a single win in its final 21 games. “Unfortunately, it’s hard to win when your best players are not playing in this league,” Brondello said. “But overall, I think it was a good experience for some of the others, and we get to evaluate them and compete; it’s the very best day-in, day-out. “I’m always going to look at it as a half-full glass, you know, where we can continue to grow.” Brondello, a two-time WNBA championship coach with Phoenix (2014) and New York (2024), failed to guide a team into the playoffs for the first time in her WNBA coaching career. “Once you get over the disappointment of not achieving your goals this year, you have to get excited about next year and the kind of players that we want to bring in,” Brondello said. “That excites me. “Every team’s going to be (pursuing free agents), so it’s going to be a challenge there. But hopefully, we show everyone what Toronto is about. “Our fans are supportive. I think we have great ownership, and I think everyone loves Toronto, so we have to kind of sell that to upcoming free agency as well.” Brondello and general manager Monica Wright Rogers want to add defensive-minded talent through free agency and April’s draft. The Tempo surrendered a league-worst 94.4 points per game. The lottery for the 2027 draft is in November. Six-foot-two USC guard JuJu Watkins is projected to be the first overall selection. Wright Rogers and her players will sell the city to prospective free agents. “The amount of diversity was refreshing,” centre Isabelle Harrison said. “The city itself has a lot of special people. You definitely feel the love here.” The players lauded fan support and destinations like Toronto Island and its restaurants as attractions for potential future teammates. The Tempo’s home court was the 8,200-seat Coca-Cola Coliseum on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds. The Tempo played two home games at Scotiabank Arena, the home of the NBA’s Raptors, plus two games in Montreal and two in Vancouver. “Seeing how many girls in Canada it impacted, that was always a great feeling,” said Mabrey, who matched a WNBA single-game record with 53 points against the Los Angeles Sparks on June 25. “Obviously I got some little things here and there from the fans that I thought were cool, but it’s always like the exchange of the friendship bracelets and stuff that I think is fun and a way to interact.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2026. Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press
