LOS ANGELES — Head coaches need a lot of help. Each head coach has a slew of assistants that help them out and for the most part, they don’t get a lot of publicity. But make no mistake; assistant coaches do a lot of work. And sometimes, it’s the first step to them eventually becoming a head coach.
One such individual is Los Angeles Sparks assistant coach Zak Buncik. After a stint with the Dallas Wings, the Sparks hired Buncik for an assistant coach position before the 2025 season.
So we caught up with Coach Buncik after practice on Thursday and talked basketball, Sparks, coaching, and more basketball!
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THE SPORTING TRIBUNE: What is your role on this team as assistant coach?
COACH ZAK BUNCIK: This year, it switched over from offense to defense. So me and (assistant coach) Ebony (Hoffman) are doing the defense this year so it’s a little bit of an adjustment for me. I was with offense with (Sparks head coach) Lynne (Roberts) last year so that’s my biggest role this year. And then, obviously, player development still with the players.
TST: Are you assigned to any players for development?
ZAK: Yes, so Ariel Atkins and Kiana (Williams), who we just signed a couple weeks ago. Those are my two players, so I watch film with them, do (player development) work with them, kind of just am their coach when they need anything.
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TST: So how’s practice this week?
ZAK: It’s been great. We don’t really get a lot of times to go full out with the way the schedule is in the W, but this week, since we’ve had this little break with the Commissioner’s Cup, it’s been really good. We’ve been able to get after it for three days, really get hard practices, and really get to teach a little bit more than what we usually do.
TST: Last two games haven’t been so great but how’s the progress so far on both sides?
ZAK: I feel offensively, we’re doing good; we’re scoring a lot of points. Defensively, we’re making progress, we have to make more stops, especially with (Kelsey Plum) out right now, with (Cameron Brink) out. We have to continue to build, and again, it’s just stacking days and stacking stops on top of one another. And building our confidence that we are good on that side of the ball and we just have to keep continuing to do that.
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TST: And that lack of size doesn’t help, either.
ZAK: No question, yes.
TST: What’s your basketball origin story?
ZAK: Oh, geez, my basketball origin story. So I tried to walk on for one year in college at (University of Texas at) Arlington, found out that I wasn’t as athletic as I thought I was.
I became a manager for two and a half years at UT Arlington. Became a graduate assistant for two years, was video for a year and a half, I was director of operations for a year and a half in college, then I was an assistant in college for seven years.
Then I did private sector player development with professionals, men and women, for two and a half years. That was around COVID. And then the last five years, I’ve been in the WNBA. So three with the Dallas Wings and two with the Sparks.
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TST: Did you always want to be coach?
ZAK: Yes. Always.
TST: That’s crazy.
ZAK: Always wanted to coach. Knew that my basketball career was going to stop pretty early. I didn’t know when it was but it was going to be early. So I always wanted to be around basketball and coaching was the next best thing to plan on.
TST: What is it about the women’s game that attracted you?
ZAK: I think being able to teach them. I think being able to teach them and them really being focused on their fundamentals and wanting to learn and wanting to be coached. Even at the professional level, they want to be coached. They want to be taught still. So I think that’s the biggest thrill (for me); to get to coach them every day.
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TST: Any players you watch, both the WNBA and the NBA?
ZAK: I watch them all. I know that’s a cheap answer but I watch them all. I just love basketball so if it’s on, I’m watching it.
TST: Last question: we’re both men but we’re in the women’s game. What do you want to tell the other men about the women’s game?
ZAK: It’s basketball. It doesn’t matter. Men, women, whatever. Basketball is basketball. And everybody that I’ve ever brought to a game or came to a game has fell in love with it. And I think that’s the biggest thing.
Basketball is basketball. If you love basketball, it doesn’t matter. Men or women.
