‘I’m just going to be me’: New Seattle Storm coach Sonia Raman hopeful to get franchise on track

By Canadian Press on November 5, 2025.

SEATTLE (AP) — At the tail end of just her second day at the Seattle Storm practice facility, newly hired Sonia Raman paused briefly Wednesday afternoon before addressing whether she was ready for her first head coaching gig in the WNBA.

“I’m just going to be me,” Raman said. “I realize that it’s a whole different level. But, I think just relying on who I am as a person, being genuine, being authentic, and as they say, keeping the main thing the main thing is most important.”

But, who exactly is Raman?

The 51-year-old Massachusetts native started her coaching career at MIT, where she was a head coach from 2008-20. She led the school to the Division III NCAA Tournament twice and remains the winningest coach in program history.

Raman jumped to the pro ranks in 2020 to be an assistant with the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies for four years before joining the New York Liberty coaching staff this past season. With the Storm, Raman will make history as the first person of Indian descent to be a head coach in the WNBA.

“It’s a tremendous honor and privilege to be sitting here and to be in that role,” Raman said. “It’s a huge responsibility as well. I’ve said this before — I am the first, but I don’t want to be the last.”

What Raman also wants is to help the Storm get back on track as a franchise. Seattle fired previous coach Noelle Quinn in September after the Storm were eliminated by the Las Vegas Aces in the first round of the playoffs for a second straight season.

The team Raman will be coaching, though, very much remains in flux. All-Stars Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams and Brittney Sykes are all set to be unrestricted free agents. The Storm have just four players under contract for the 2026 season.

Raman is excited to collaborate with general manager Talisa Rhea to help chart a path forward for how the Storm can build around 19-year-old forward Dominique Malonga, who was the No. 2 pick in the draft and a WNBA All-Rookie Team selection.

“She’s been doing this for a long time with the front office,” Raman said of Rhea. “I’m excited to learn from her as well. I will certainly give ideas, give thoughts, have questions, and I just think having that collaborative dialogue will get us to where we need to go.”

Rhea, meanwhile, is confident she made the right hire in bringing aboard Raman as the ninth coach in franchise history.

“It was clear from the first conversation we had with Sonia that there was real alignment,” Rhea said, “and the potential for a wonderful partnership.”

What Raman aspires to do with the Storm is lean into her coaching strengths. The former Tufts guard developed a reputation in the NBA for her scouting, player development and analytics acumen.

At her core, Raman said, she is a “hoops junkie.” She has learned the importance of taking a “holistic approach” when it comes to coaching individual players, as well as the team at large.

“Use everything you have available to you. It’s 2025,” Raman said. “We have all the technology in the world. We have the data. We have the film. We have expert coaches.”

Raman has yet to round out her coaching staff, and did not provide a timetable for doing so. She’s also working on finding a house in the Seattle area. Raman said she intends to live in the Pacific Northwest full-time, not just during the season.

In due time, Raman will either prove herself ready or not to lead the Storm after three decades of coaching. What is clear is Raman is grateful for the opportunity at hand.

“This is a place that exudes excellence, fosters collaboration,” Raman said. “The care factor here is incredible.”

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Andrew Destin, The Associated Press