The Atlanta Dream are about to be on their third head coach of this season. After Nicki Collen took the Baylor job during training camp, Mike Petersen took over in an interim role, but on Saturday, the team announced that he would be stepping down during the midseason Olympic break due to health reasons.
“For health reasons that the grind of the WNBA season will not allow me to adequately address, I have decided to step down from my coaching duties with the Dream,” Petersen said. “I want to thank the Atlanta Dream players, staff and ownership for the opportunity to be part of an amazing organization.”
The Dream are currently 10th in the WNBA at 6-13, losing their last four before the break while dealing with some internal turmoil that saw second-year guard Chennedy Carter get suspended indefinitely for an altercation that took place on the bench during a timeout in a loss to the Aces. Taking over for Petersen will be assistant coach Darius Taylor, who joined the team in 2017 from South Carolina’s staff.
Hopefully Petersen is able to take care of his health by stepping down and no longer being in the day-to-day of coaching, while Taylor will look to put his imprint on a talented Dream team that will need to come together in the second half to make a playoff push.
