The Toronto Tempo will debut in Women’s National Basketball Association action as they face the Connecticut Sun in a pre-season match at Coca-Cola Coliseum tonight. In the previous season, the Sun ended in the 11th spot with an 11-33 record, failing to reach the playoffs.
As the first Canadian team in the league, Toronto Tempo recently participated in the expansion draft and will compete in the Eastern Conference alongside seven teams. The team will be under the guidance of coach Sandy Brondello and will kick off their 22-game home schedule on May 8 against the Washington Mystics.
Before their official season opener, the Tempo will wrap up their pre-season games against the Minnesota Lynx at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The team plans to reduce their roster from 19 players to 12 players.
Kia Nurse, a seasoned WNBA player from Hamilton, Ont., has joined the Tempo as the first Canadian player. She expressed her enthusiasm, along with her teammates, about creating basketball history in Canada, with the journey beginning tonight.