Emre Vatansever is a professional basketball coach who most recently served as the interim head coach and general manager of the Chicago Sky in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).[1][2][3] Vantansever has previously been the head coach at Çukurova Basketbol and an assistant with Yakın Doğu Üniversitesi and Galatasaray. He got his start in the WNBA serving as a coaching intern for the Seattle Storm.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Turkish |
| Career information | |
| College | Marmara University |
| Coaching career | 2002–present |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
| 2002–2007 | Migros Basketball (HC/Asst.) |
| 2008–2014 | Galatasaray (Asst.) |
| 2015–2018 | Seattle Storm (Intern) |
| 2017–2019 | Yakın Doğu Üniversitesi (Asst.) |
| 2018–2023 | Chicago Sky (Asst.) |
| 2022 | Çukurova Basketbol |
| 2023 | Chicago Sky (interim) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| As assistant coach: | |
Coaching career
Galatasaray
Vatansever spent seven years at Galatsaray as an assistant coach.[citation needed] During his time as assistant with Galatsaray, Vatansever was a part of the teams that won the Turkish Cup in 2010 and the EuroLeague Women's Championship in 2014.[citation needed]
Seattle Storm
Vatansever’s first coaching job in the WNBA was as a coaching intern on Jenny Boucek’s Seattle Storm staff.[3] Vatansever's time in Seattle included a lot of different roles including being an advance scout for the team.[4]
Yakın Doğu Üniversites
Vatansever spent two years at Yakın Doğu Üniversites, where he was an assistant coach for the squad.[5][6]
Chicago Sky
Vatansever joined the Chicago Sky in 2018 on Amber Stocks's coaching staff as a player development assistant coach. When Stock was let go following the 2018 season, Vatansever was retained when James Wade was hired.[7] Vatansever became the acting head coach for two games in 2022, when Wade was sidelined for COVID. Vatansever helped the Sky go 2-0 during that time.[8]
In the 2023 season, then head coach James Wade stepped down on July 1, 2023 and took an assistant coaching position with the Toronto Raptors. Vatansever was named as the interim head coach and general manager for the Sky - this being his first head coaching stint in the WNBA.[1][9] He became the first Turkish coach to take on the position of head coach in the WNBA.[citation needed]
After the conclusion of the Chicago Sky’s 2023 season, the Chicago Sky announced that Vatansever will not return as head coach and general manager of their team. [10]
Çukurova
Vatansever earned his first head-coaching role in 2022 when Çukurova BK in Turkey hired him to be their head coach. His roster includes five current WNBA players: Chelsea Gray, Briann January, Tiffany Hayes, DeWanna Bonner, and Jonquel Jones.[3] Vatansever held the responsibility of head coach with Çukurova Mersin until early December when the club announced it had parted ways with him.[11]
Head coaching record
WNBA
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHI | 2023 | 24 | 11 | 13 | .458 | 4th in Eastern | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | Lost in 1st Round |
| Career | 24 | 11 | 13 | .458 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
Personal life
Vatansever married professional basketball player Kristen Newlin. She played in Turkey since she graduated from Stanford in 2008, including on the Turkish national team for several years as a naturalized citizen. The couple have three children together.[12]