The Toronto Tempo entered their first training camp with almost no margin for error. In only 35 days, the WNBA’s first Canadian franchise had to go from an empty roster to a functional team, then prepare for a home opener that could arrive before the group had fully settled into its identity.
That urgency shaped every decision at the top of the organization. Monica Wright Rogers, the Tempo’s first general manager, was helping build a team for a country of 41 million people while also racing a calendar that left almost no room for mistakes.
A franchise built under pressure
Toronto officially became a WNBA expansion team after paying a $50 million entry fee, with support from Larry Tanenbaum and Judy Tanenbaum. Wright Rogers was hired soon after to lead basketball operations, and Sandy Brondello later became the head coach.
The front office spent months preparing before players were even available. Wright Rogers and assistant GM Eli Horowitz traveled through Spain, France and Turkey to evaluate possible expansion draft targets, while the staff also tracked college prospects throughout the winter and spring.
The work mattered because Toronto needed to be ready for more than just roster building. The club also had to present itself as a credible brand, a competitive team and a national touchpoint for Canadian basketball interest almost immediately.
Draft strategy turned into a race against uncertainty
For a long stretch, the Tempo could only plan for several possible outcomes. Collective bargaining talks between the league and the players kept both the expansion draft and the college draft unsettled, which made the front office’s job even more difficult.
Toronto eventually won a coin toss on March 27 and got the draft positions it wanted: second in the expansion draft and sixth in the college draft. That did not guarantee success, but it gave the club the structure it had targeted after months of mock drafts and simulations.
Even then, the results did not follow the script. Multiple expected targets declined to play in Toronto, and the club anticipated that Canadian wing Bridget Carleton would still be available at second overall in the expansion draft, only for Portland to take her first.
Wright Rogers called that outcome “a tough pill to swallow.” Still, Toronto landed 11 players in the expansion draft and had scouted four of them in Europe — Julie Allemand, Maria Conde, Kitija Laksa and Nikolina Milić — which gave the staff extra confidence in what those players could bring.
College draft luck helped reshape the roster
Toronto also got a break in the college draft when UCLA’s Gabriela Jaquez went fifth to the Chicago Sky, leaving Kiki Rice available for the Tempo. Wright Rogers had identified Rice as a priority because of her size, explosiveness and potential at a premium position.
The team’s roster philosophy was clear. Wright Rogers said guards had to provide a reliable one-on-one scoring threat, something the staff could count on in key moments. Rice fit that idea, and her selection gave the roster a player who matched the club’s long-term vision.
Free-agent signings soon filled out the training camp group, finally giving Toronto a full roster after weeks without any players at all. That created a new challenge: getting everyone to function as a unit in a matter of days.
Crossing borders became part of the job
The logistical side of the Tempo’s work was unusually intense because the team had to bring players into Canada fast. Every newcomer filled out an information packet to begin the process of securing a Canadian work permit and visa, and staff members were relieved that all of the players already had passports.
Brittney Sykes described the process as unfamiliar after a red-eye flight from Los Angeles. She went through customs, spent about 20 minutes in immigration, paid for her visa and then moved to baggage claim.
Kia Nurse quickly became a source of local help for her teammates. The Hamilton native organized a group chat, collected numbers for staff members and offered practical guidance about daily life in Canada, from streaming services to shopping and television access.
That support mattered because small details can create real friction in a short camp. Rice had to learn that there is no CVS in Canada, and Sykes realized she needed a work permit before setting up WiFi.
Building chemistry on a deadline
Brondello knew that basketball structure alone would not be enough. She introduced the team’s big-picture goals in her first camp speech, then moved quickly into film and practice work to establish offensive and defensive principles.
The coaching staff also treated chemistry as a priority. Brondello wanted players to learn something new about a teammate every day, believing that stronger off-court connections would help the group function better on the floor.
The team’s first shared moments came only when camp began, which left little time for gradual bonding. Still, Brondello believed the approach could work if the group learned to communicate and trust each other fast.
She pointed to the Golden State Valkyries as an example of how joy and connection can shape an expansion team. For Toronto, that meant teaching details such as proper screening angles while also building familiarity between players who had barely met.
Canada’s attention arrives early
The Tempo’s profile is unlike that of a typical expansion team because they are the only WNBA franchise in Canada. That gives them national visibility, but it also creates expectations that can feel heavier than the timeline itself.
Marina Mabrey, selected sixth overall in the expansion draft, said everyone understood that pressure. “Nobody wants to be that,” she said of the possibility of becoming the league’s first expansion team to struggle badly.
The attention was already visible before the team had even played a game. Fans stopped players in grocery stores and shopping centers, and brand partnership meetings began almost immediately after the club hired a chief financial officer in 2024.
Whitney Bell, the franchise’s chief marketing officer, said awareness had already been strong before the roster was complete. She called having players “the icing on the cake,” which reflected how quickly the team had become a recognizable presence in the city.
A loud welcome in Toronto
That public interest turned into something more tangible during a team outing to a Toronto Sceptres PHWL game. When the Tempo appeared on the scoreboard video screens, the crowd broke into a loud ovation.
Sykes said the reaction felt bigger than anything expected before the team had played a single game. The club later sold out all 8,210 seats at Coca-Cola Coliseum for an April 29 exhibition against the Connecticut Sun, and another full house was expected for the regular-season home opener against the Washington Mystics.
The support also reached beyond the arena. Isabelle Harrison, who had once applied for a Sephora partnership, described the brand opportunity as a dream come true, and franchise executives said moments like that showed how marketable the team had already become.
Even with all the noise, the Tempo still face the basic challenge of turning a quick assembly into a lasting basketball identity. Larry and Judy Tanenbaum watched practice from courtside folding chairs, a reminder that the club has both financial backing and a long runway to grow.
Mabrey put the task in plain terms: the team is still laying its foundation, and it has to begin somewhere.
