Eric Thibault (born August 22, 1987) is an American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
coach who is the associate head coach for the
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Lynx compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference. The team won the WNBA ...
of the
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.
The WNBA w ...
(WNBA). Thibault previously spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach, associate head coach, and head coach for the
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team was ...
.
College
Thibault attended the
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...
for his undergraduate English degree and was a member of the all-male practice squad for the
Missouri Tiger women's basketball team during his time. After spending three seasons as a practice player, Thibault moved into a graduate assistant role with the Tigers.
Following one year as a graduate assistant at Missouri, the coaching staff there was let go and Thibault found another graduate assistant opportunity with
Kim Barnes Arico
Kimberly Ann Barnes Arico (born August 9, 1970) is an American basketball coach and the current head coach of the Michigan Wolverines women's basketball team. She is the all-time winningest Michigan basketball coach. Previously, she was head co ...
and the
St. John's Red Storm women's basketball team.
Coaching career
VCU Rams (2012–2013)
Following his years as a graduate assistant, Thibault got his first assistant coaching job with the
VCU Rams women's basketball team. Thibault only spent one year there before he left to go the
WNBA coaching ranks.
Washington Mystics (2013–2024)
Assistant coach and associate head coach
Thibault was named an assistant coach on the
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team was ...
staff in May of 2013. Prior to the 2019 season, the Mystics promoted him to Associate head coach, a position that he held until the end of the 2022 season.
Head coach
Thibault was promoted to the Mystics head coach position in November of 2022, following the coaching retirement of his father and previous Mystics head coach
Mike Thibault
Michael Francis Thibault (born September 28, 1950) is an American basketball head coach and basketball general manager. He is the head coach of the Belgium, Belgian women's national basketball team Belgian Cats since 2025. Before he coached the C ...
. On October 23, 2024, the Mystics announced that they had mutually agreed to part ways with both Eric and Mike Thibault.
Minnesota Lynx (2025–present)
On November 30, 2024, Thibault was announced as the associate head coach of the
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Lynx compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference. The team won the WNBA ...
.
Head coaching record
, -
, align="left" ,
WAS
, align="left" ,
, 40, , 19, , 21, , , , align="center" , 4th in Eastern, , 2, , 0, , 2, ,
, Lost in
1st Round
, -
, align="left" ,
WAS
, align="left" ,
, 40, , 14, , 26, , , , align="center" , 5th in Eastern, , —, , —, , —, ,
, align="center" , Missed Playoffs
, -class="sortbottom"
, align="left" , Career
, , , 80, , 33, , 47, , , , , , 2, , 0, , 2, ,
Personal life
Thibault's father is
Mike Thibault
Michael Francis Thibault (born September 28, 1950) is an American basketball head coach and basketball general manager. He is the head coach of the Belgium, Belgian women's national basketball team Belgian Cats since 2025. Before he coached the C ...
, who had coached in both the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
and the
WNBA between 1980 and 2022. Mike is currently the
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team was ...
General Manager. Eric's sister is
Carly Thibault-DuDonis
Carly Thibault-DuDonis (born July 31, 1991) is the women's basketball coach for Fairfield University since 2022. As a basketball player at Monmouth University, Thibault was named All-Northeast Conference in 2013 and scored 730 points overall. Her ...
, who is currently the head coach for the
Fairfield Stags women's basketball team.
Eric is married to his wife, Andreya, with whom he shares a son, Dean, born May 2023.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thibault, Eric
1987 births
Living people
American women's basketball coaches
VCU Rams women's basketball coaches
Washington Mystics coaches