Coach Brian Agler transforms Storm

There's a joke floating around San Antonio.

It ends like this: Former Silver Stars assistant Brian Agler should scratch out Dan Hughes' name on the 2007 Coach of Year trophy and write in his own. Agler did most of the work, anyway.

In reality, the simpatico work environment was allowed to take place because Hughes wasn't too egotistical to allow a smart assistant coach to implement an offense and even step into Hughes' place to coach during an injury. The gesture helped San Antonio improve from a sixth-place finish in 2006 to a 20-14 season last season. The Silver Stars advanced to the Western Conference finals, where they were beaten by Phoenix.

To return the favor, Hughes became Agler's pseudo agent, searching for the right head-coaching fit for Agler. Former Sonics and Storm owner Clay Bennett signed Agler to a long-term deal.

Tonight, in Los Angeles, Agler will display his leadership on the WNBA's postseason stage as his second-seeded Storm (22-12) faces the No. 3 Sparks (20-14). It's the first time since guiding the Columbia Quest to American Basketball League championships in 1997 and 1998 that Agler has made a postseason appearance as head coach.

"He's done a phenomenal job," Sacramento coach Jenny Boucek said. "He's done some things in a year which normally take way longer than that to do — like change their identity."

Boucek was an assistant coach for the Storm when it won its only championship in 2004. Since then Seattle made three consecutive first-round exits under coach Anne Donovan despite having two young All-Decade players in Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird.

By the third exit, a sweep by eventual champion Phoenix last summer, CEO Karen Bryant knew changes had to be made. Attendance was fluctuating and frustration trickled from the locker room to the loyal fan base.

And even though Agler could hang in a round-table discussion about basketball with John Wooden, Pat Summitt and John Thompson, there were still questions that hounded Agler. Like those three-hour shoot-arounds, grinding daily sessions and double talk to his players.

Did Agler learn from mistakes he made with the expansion Minnesota team from 1999-2002, accumulating a 48-74 record?

"My personality hasn't changed a whole lot, I just have a better feel for what this league is all about in comparison to what the ABL was all about," Agler said. "I learned a lot about what it takes to be successful on the court, what the roster needs to look like and how these players play year-round.

"You have to do the best job you can to manage their time on the court to get the best out of them in practice and games. Those are the adjustments I've made from the Minnesota days to now."

Agler transformed the franchise like a magician waving his wand. He said the emphasis was going to be on defense, and it was. Agler signed former Defensive Players of Year Yolanda Griffith and Sheryl Swoopes during free agency and picked up solid defender Swin Cash via trade. The moves helped the Storm lead the league in defense, holding opponents to 70.8 points per game.

Agler said he wanted Bird to score more, and she has a career-high eight games of 20 points or more. Agler said the offense would be about interchangeable parts, and as the Storm suffered through injuries with four of its five starters, Seattle continued to plug in other pieces and win.

"The vibe is definitely different around here," Storm forward Katie Gearlds said.

The hardest part for Agler is not meddling too much. The urge is still there to practice just to be sure everyone understands what needs to be accomplished. And he wants everyone close by — fining Cash, who took an Olympic broadcasting position and rehabilitated her lower back in New York instead of Seattle. Both parties said the rift has dissolved.

The Olympic break was still good for Agler, however. He spent time with his family in Ohio, getting surprised by a 50th birthday party at a sister's home.

In Seattle, it's harder to take breaks. He walks Queen Anne Hill with assistant coach Shelley Patterson to burn off stress, but the phone is still glued to his ear.

"I'm ahead of him most of the time because I'm trying to get more in," said Patterson, who lives nearby. "I don't know how he talks and walks up the hill. There's always something going on."

All the moves are done now that he has solidified his bench with forward Camille Little and backup point guard Kimberly Beck, who was drafted in the third round in April.

Seattle has won every way possible this season, rallying from 21-point deficits, using only reserves to win some games, and posting an 8-5 record without Jackson, the team's leading scorer (20.2) and rebounder (7.0).

Now, all that's left is to see if it works in postseason.

Then perhaps Agler can put his name on a different kind of trophy.

"This has been a great team to coach," Agler said. "It took us some time to get things going, but this is not a team I lose sleep over. Putting ourselves in position to win a championship has been the ultimate goal. To this point, we're on pace.

"We've really battled a lot of adversity this year, and it has been neat to watch some of our young people step up. I'm excited."

Note

• Cash is doubtful to play today due to lower back pain. She did travel to L.A., however.

Jayda Evans: 206-464-2067 or jevans@seattletimes.com