Tempo GM Monica Wright Rogers plotting out Toronto roster a year before WNBA debut

John Chidley-Hill · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 22, 2025 5:57 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

Monica Wright Rogers is conscionable astir acceptable to displacement the Toronto Tempo into a caller gear.

Wright Rogers has been focused connected the concern broadside of the caller WNBA franchise successful her archetypal 4 months arsenic the Tempo's inaugural wide manager. But successful the coming months, she'll crook her attraction to assembling the on-court merchandise earlier Toronto's debut successful the 2026 season.

"It's been a precise engaged time, and I cognize that it's important close present to truly get into the community, to larn the scenery of the sports manufacture present successful Toronto and successful Canada, and to proceed to propulsion the Tempo sanction retired there," said Wright Rogers aft speaking astatine a sports manufacture league successful downtown Toronto. "There is going to beryllium a constituent wherever I displacement focuses present and truly commencement focusing connected the task astatine hand, which is gathering retired the Toronto Tempo's roster and staff."

Toronto's roster volition instrumentality signifier implicit the adjacent 12 months.

WATCH | Tempo GM Wright Rogers discusses goals for 2026 season:

An as-yet unscheduled enlargement draught aft the 2025 regular play volition beryllium the archetypal accidental for the Tempo and Portland's caller franchise to prime immoderate players. Then the regular draught and escaped bureau successful aboriginal 2026 volition assistance Wright Rogers implicit Toronto's lineup.

"Before each that we are going to prosecute our caput coach, truthful those are the large to do's connected my list," said Wright Rogers, who played successful the WNBA for 7 seasons and was antecedently the adjunct GM of the Phoenix Mercury. "I deliberation it's each astir the strategy and that's wherefore it is important for maine to recognize the scenery here.

Wright Rogers was 1 of the panellists astatine the espnW Summit Canada, a league connected the maturation of women's athletics successful downtown Toronto, connected Wednesday.

Prepping for veteran-centric league

During her talk, she noted that the WNBA is simply a veteran-centric league, with rookies usually taking 2 oregon 3 years to afloat make and support gait with their much experienced peers. As a result, she expects escaped bureau to beryllium the astir important measurement successful gathering the Tempo's roster.

Wright Rogers doesn't expect that being an contented for the Tempo.

"I'm looking for the champion players, but I deliberation Canada has immoderate of the champion players successful the league," said Wright Rogers, noting that the WNBA's existent radical of planetary players is besides precise strong. "I deliberation specifically WNBA players are not overseas to playing internationally due to the fact that a batch of america have, erstwhile I was a subordinate included, person played successful the WNBA, and past we play internationally successful the off-season.

"It won't beryllium a large symptom constituent for players to travel crossed the borderline successful that mode oregon travel crossed the h2o successful that way. They're utilized to it."

Wright Rogers was named the GM of the Tempo connected Feb. 20. She said she wasn't expecting specified excitement astir the announcement, but recovered it an encouraging motion for her aboriginal roster.

"I emotion that because, to me, that lukewarm clasp and appetite and conscionable the hospitality that I feel, I cognize our unit and players are going to consciousness erstwhile they get present arsenic well," she said, lasting successful a courtyard astatine the Evergreen Brick Works. "That makes maine truly happy, due to the fact that it's similar radical participate this squad and they travel connected committee and they conscionable get a large Canadian hug."