Former players praise Seattle Storm head coach hire: “She deserved it”

The Seattle Storm are turning a new leaf; after five years with Noelle Quinn at the helm, they’ve selected New York Liberty assistant coach Sonia Raman to be their next head coach, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Raman will lead the Storm after accruing a breadth of experience as an assistant in women’s college basketball, the NBA, and the WNBA. Raman coached the MIT 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 seasons.

Celtics forward Xavier Tillman, one of Raman’s former players on the Grizzlies, told SB Nation he was thrilled when he got a text from his wife on Friday afternoon that Raman was selected for the Storm role.

“She deserved it,” Tillman said. “She worked super hard, dedicated to the film, dedicated to the craft, and loves basketball.”

“She was big on putting in extra work — big on film, watching, and preparation,” Tillman said. “So, she was one of those coaches who — you get what you put in.”

“She was big on watching film and breaking the defense down into what’s going to be available for the offense, as well as the work. I could tell you a number of times when she was down there, rebounded for me, she was in the trenches with me, just putting in work and stuff like that in the mornings before shootaround. She was definitely a big part of my development.“

Tillman also noted that, like many NBA players, Raman is the only woman coach he’s ever had. He remembers the energy that she routinely brought to the table.

“She was quiet, but when it was time to work, it was like, ‘All right, let’s go!‘ She was hyped.”

Now, after decades of coaching basketball, Raman will 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.

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 unrestricted free agents in Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike, Brittney Sykes, and Gabby Williams, but like most teams in the WNBA, they have very few guaranteed returners this offseason.

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.”

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 have hired longtime South Florida University head coach Jose Fernandez.

The Liberty, meanwhile, still has 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 comes 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 coaches. The Tempo, meanwhile, selected one of the most veteran WNBA coaches in Sandy Brondello.