Brenda Milano is a former basketball player and is mostly known for being the current girlfriend of former WNBA player and current NBA assistant coach, Becky Hammon.
Don't Miss: Angel Mccoughtry
Basketball Mindset
Brenda had a great basketball career when she attended college. She had a lot of success playing at Wagner for five years. She graduated from the school with over 1,000 points in 84 games. She was able to score a lot of points despite missing many games. She was included in the school’s Top 10 list because of her career stats of 148 steals and 382 assists.
Brenda was a very versatile player on the court. Not only she was a scoring machine, she was also a willing passer. When she didn’t have the advantage, she would try to find an open teammate to pass to. She would intentionally try to break down the defense to create opportunities for her teammates. When she was playing offensive, she had two goals in her mind. It was either going to be her scoring or her passing to a teammate that the chance to score.
To be a complete basketball player, you have to compete on both sides of the court. Brenda wasn’t limited to just the offensive side of the court. She was also very smart and feisty on the defensive side. She would hound her opponent as she stayed in front of them and protected her team’s basket. She would anticipate passes and jump into passing lanes to rack up steals. Brenda loved the game of basketball and gave every possession her best effort.
Basketball Achievements
During her seasons playing for the Green & White, Brenda helped the team to 48 wins and is considered to be among the best of the best that has ever played for Wagner. It was Milano’s outstanding senior season that saw her cap her career with a huge bang. During this time, Milano earned Team MVP honors as well as the First Team All-NEC honor despite having missed 11 games as a result of an injury. Her play was so strong that she still deserved the awards even though she missed a number of games.
As a sophomore, she earned various accolades including the Second Team All-NEC honors. As a freshman, Milano received three rookie awards.
Coaching Career
After her playing career came to an end, Milano was not satisfied. She was too in love with basketball to give the sport up and pursue another career. Her coaches always felt that she had a great mind for the game. They encouraged her to coach because they felt she would be great at it.
Milano took their advice and pursued a career in coaching women’s basketball in New York at St. Francis College. After coaching the team for 8 years, Brenda resigned in 2012 with a disappointing 58-184 record.
[page-break]
Although basketball is a tough game and it is very hard to maintain a winning record, it is surprising that the Terries never saw a winning season under Milano because of her basketball brain. Milano never coached again after her disappointing run. The job was very stressful and she took personal blame for the team’s performance. She did not want to point out the players for their bad record. She was willing to take the negative feedback because she understands that it comes with the job.
When being pressed by the media to explain her teams’ poor performance, she was always well-spoken during her interviews. Milano often talked about the expectations and challenges of coaching. She never threw her players under the bus and always talked about how it would take a team effort to improve.
Alleged Relationship with Becky Hammon
Stories about Brenda’s coaching and playing career in basketball have been overshadowed by rumors of her lesbian relationship with former basketball star, Becky Hammon. Becky was a fantastic player for the WNBA which is the top women’s league for female basketball. After she retired, she went on to pursue a coaching career in the NBA. It was a bold move for her because the NBA had never had women on their coaching staff. The San Antonio Spurs made history when they announced that Becky would become one of their top assistants.
Becky broke the mold of what a coach was supposed to be. A lot of critics laughed at the idea that a female coach could lead a male team. They said that the players would ignore and tune her out as she tried to coach them. Becky changed all that and was given a ringing endorsement from the San Antonio Spurs players. They said she commands respect because she knows the game and is a good teacher. They said they wouldn’t be surprised if she eventually became a head coach in the league one day.
It has been suspected that Milano has been Becky’s girlfriend for years now although there has been no official confirmation. Both of them like to keep their personal lives private and have not made any comments on their relationship. They don’t feel like they owe it to anybody to talk about their sexuality. The speculation started when the two started sharing photos of each other on their social media profiles. In some of their photos, they can be seen embracing each other like lovers world.
It is assumed that Becky and Brenda want to keep their relationship anonymous to protect Becky’s coaching career. In a few years, Becky will be on the verge of becoming the NBA’s first female coach. She knows that a brave NBA team will be the first to take a chance on her. She does not want to run her chances with any distractions. She knows that if she makes her lesbian relationship with Brenda public, she will attract negative attention. People who hate female progress will try to use her lesbian relationship against her. They will make a stink out of how irresponsible it is for the NBA to not only hire a female coach abut also a lesbian one. Becky does not want to involve Brenda in any unnecessary controversy that she does not need to be a part of.
Last Modified: Mar 8, 2020
Related Biographies
