By Ryan Deal

605 Sports

Fred Tibbetts, who died in 2008, won a state-record 11 state championships as a coach, guided Sioux Falls Roosevelt to a state-record winning streak of 111 games and led the University of South Dakota women’s basketball team to the NCAA Division II tournament.

All while planting the coaching seed in Nate, who was an NBA journeyman coach before landing the Mercury head job. 

“Being in those practices with him over the years and seeing how he treated his players is going to have a huge impact on how I am going to treat our players here,” Tibbetts said at his introductory press conference. “I do get emotional at times talking about him. I really looked up to him and I know he’s smiling down.”

Tibbetts, 46, is now in a similar position, but in a different role. Tibbetts and his wife, Lyndsey, have twin daughters, Londyn and Jordyn.

“What an opportunity for them to see me be a head coach of the best women’s basketball players in the world,” Tibbetts said. “I grew up as a coach's kid. I can’t imagine anything being better and somebody told me now they have big sisters to look up to, role models and that’s exciting for me also.”

Tibbetts, who most recently was an assistant with the NBA's Orlando Magic, has no prior experience coaching women’s basketball. Tibbetts admits there will be a learning curve adjusting from the NBA to the WNBA. 

He plans on implementing the style he’s grown accustomed to in the NBA, including shooting 3-pointers, playing with pace and spacing the floor. 

“I want to help push this thing forward,” Tibbett said. “The WNBA has great momentum. Nothing I am going to do is going to change it. I just want to be a part of it. I want to grow with it.”

The Tibbetts hire raised some eyebrows and was met with some criticism. Despite no experience coaching the women’s game, he is now the highest paid coach in WNBA history. Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon, a Rapid City native, is currently the league's highest-paid coach with a salary of more than $1 million per season. 

Tibbetts addressed the criticism on Friday, but said he isn’t concerned with the outside distractions. 

“I don’t really live online,” Tibbetts said. “Me speaking to the players and them welcoming the way that they have, that’s just made me not worry about things that they’re not worried about. I understand, I’m sensitive to the situation. I’m one of three male head coaches in the WNBA. I take responsibility for that. People are questioning it — agree or disagree. I’m going to do the best job I can.”  

Tibbetts has been with the Magic since 2021, after assistant coaching stops with the Portland Trail Blazers and Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s also been the head coach of the Tulsa 66ers and Sioux Falls Skyforce. 

A Sioux Falls Roosevelt graduate, Tibbetts played college basketball at the University of South Dakota. Tibbetts is the all-time assist leader in the 88-year history of the North Central Conference. He handed out 465 assists, or 6.5 per game, in conference play while leading the Coyotes to three consecutive NCC championships (1999-2001). Tibbetts ranks second on USD’s all-time lists for both career assists (678) and steals (215).

Tibbetts earned all-NCC honors in 2001 and was named to the NCC all-tournament team that season. In 112 games, Tibbetts scored 572 points (5.1 ppg) and grabbed 321 rebounds (2.9 rpg) while shooting 55 percent from the field.

Tibbetts began his coaching career as an assistant coach for Shane Murphy at the University of Sioux Falls from 2001-05. He was a member of the D-League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce coaching staff for four seasons from 2005-09 and was promoted to head coach after his first two campaigns. He coached two seasons for the 66ers before his ascension into the NBA ranks.