The Seattle Storm have reportedly settled on a new head coach. Sonia Raman, an assistant with the New York Liberty, has agreed to a multiyear deal to join the Storm, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Raman spent this past season with the Liberty, joining Sandy Brondello’s staff last January. Prior to that, she spent four as an assistant coach with the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.
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Raman replaces Noelle Quinn after the team opted to not extend her contract this offseason.
Raman, who is of Indian descent, becomes the first Indian-American to take a head-coaching role in the WNBA. She previously made history in her role in the NBA as well.
In addition to her pro basketball experience, Raman also worked as an assistant coach for Wellesley College (2002-08) and spent more than a decade as the head coach of MIT’s women’s basketball team before heading to the NBA.
Raman will step in at a slightly unsettled time for the Storm, who are coming off another disappointing first-round loss in the playoffs. Seattle had a solid season and was in good shape heading into the summer, but suddenly self-destructed: The team kicked off August with a six-game losing streak, losing 10 games heading into the playoff stretch and finishing in seventh place, just barely getting into the postseason.
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Prior to parting ways with the team, Quinn spent five years with the Storm, compiling a 97-89 overall record and bringing the team to the playoffs four times. But Seattle failed to advance past the second round of the postseason during Quinn’s tenure, plus there were a number of off-court locker-room issues that may have contributed to the team’s issues.
Raman becomes the latest head coach to fill one of the vacant spots in the WNBA. Earlier this week, the Dallas Wings reportedly hired longtime USF coach Jose Fernandez as their new head coach, while Brondello — Raman’s former boss — was hired as the head coach of the Toronto Tempo, taking over the expansion team after the Liberty unexpectedly chose to not renew her contract.
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The other expansion team, the Portland Fire, hired Cavaliers assistant Alex Sarama as its head coach last week. New York is the other WNBA team still without a head coach at this time.
