The Seattle Storm are turning a new leaf; after five years of Noelle Quinn at the helm, they’ve selected New York Liberty assistant coach Sonia Raman as their next head coach, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Raman will lead the Storm after a breadth of experience as an assistant both in college basketball, NBA, and the WNBA. Raman coached the MIT’s women’s basketball team for 12 years — finishing her tenure as the program’s winningest coach — and was subsequently an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies for four years.
Most recently, Raman was an assistant coach on the Liberty in 2024, and was one of the most sought-after head coach candidates in the field.
Now, she’ll be a WNBA head coach for the first time, taking over a Storm organization that finished with the WNBA’s 7th-best record this past season.
Raman will replace Noelle Quinn, who was fired after five seasons as the Storm’s head coach.
The Storm’s immediate future is uncertain, but the organization undoubtedly has one of the most exciting young prospects in the game in rookie Dominique Malonga. Outside of Malonga, the Storm have a slew of unrestricte free agents in Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike, Brittney Sykes and Gabby Williams.
Last month, general manager Talisa Rhea provided insight into what the organization was looking for in a head coach in an interview with ESPN.
“I think we’re looking for a leader, someone who can manage a group and really establish a new identity,” Rhea said. “There’s a lot of uncertainty, and we’re entering a new chapter, just kind of league-wide, so excited for someone to really be able to put their mark on a team and build confidence, build team chemistry and build an identity on the court that will ultimately lead us to trying to compete for years to come.”
Only 1 WNBA head coaching positions remains open
So far this offseason, four head coaching vacancies have reportedly been filled; the Portland Fire have hired Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Alex Samara, the Toronto Tempo have hired recently-fired Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello, and the Dallas Wings hired longtime South Florida University head coach Jose Fernandez.
The Liberty, meanwhile, still have a head coaching vacancy after opting not to renew Sandy Brondello’s contract after the franchise’s first-round exit.
WNBA teams have gone in all different directions when it’s come to making head coaching decisions; the Fire and Storm have both selected candidates with significant NBA experience, while the Wings picked one of college basketball’s most proven coach. The Tempo, meanwhile, selected one of the most veteran coaches in the WNBA in Sandy Brondello.
