With Tempo’s latest loss, Sandy Brondello reiterates process still a journey not a sprint

Talk to any member of the Toronto Tempo organization – even the billionaire owner of the team — and they’ll sing in unison that competing for a playoff spot this season is the organizational aspiration.

You can see it in how the basketball operations department approached the WNBA expansion draft and free agency. Yes, the Tempo are an expansion team but the Golden State Valkyries and the Vegas Golden Knights, both playoff-bound in Year 1, proved that age is just a number. So, why not the Tempo? 

Here’s the thing, though: Aspiration is great but it doesn’t set hard screens, provide rim protection or help you when you have multiple post players out with injuries. 

Sandy Brondello knows this very well. The head coach of the Toronto Tempo has led two different franchises (Phoenix and New York) to WNBA titles, one of only two coaches to pull off that coaching magic trick.

It was a coup that Toronto landed a Hall of Famer-to-be coach on the sideline, and sure, owner Larry Tanenbaum’s checkbook helped with the sell. But Brondello had to believe in the vision – and she does. 

It’s been interesting to talk with the affable Brondello since she accepted the Tempo job last November. She’s consistently walked the line between publicly demanding excellence from her team and acknowledging the reality that they are a first-year franchise in a very competitive league. 

“You have to be realistic — we're an expansion team,” Brondello said earlier this month. “We're realistic about our expectations with what we are. We know it's going to take a little bit of time. I’ve said that we have to have grace along this journey because it's not always going to look how we want it. 

“These are smart basketball players, they're competitive, they want