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Liberty assistant Sonia Raman is leaving New York to become the next head coach of the Storm, sources confirmed Friday.
Raman was the in-house candidate for the Liberty head coaching job.
She ultimately, though, agreed to a multiyear deal with the Storm, making New York the last WNBA team with a head coaching vacancy.
Raman’s historic hiring, first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, makes her the first Indian-American woman to be a head coach in the WNBA.
Raman, 51, replaced Noelle Quinn, whose contract wasn’t renewed last month after four seasons. She’ll have the chance to play an integral role in 2025 No. 2 overall pick Dominique Malonga’s development.
Raman brings decades of experience at the college, NBA and WNBA levels.
Former Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins once lauded Raman for her high basketball IQ and “tremendous ability to teach the game.”
A former Tufts walk-on, Raman got her first shot at being a head coach in 2008, when she was hired to lead the MIT women’s team.
During her 12 years there, she guided the Engineers to two Division III NCAA Tournaments and remains the winningest coach in program history.
Raman joined Jenkins’ staff in Memphis before the 2020-21 season. Her responsibilities started on the defensive side of the ball before she transitioned to the offensive side in her third season.
The Liberty added Raman to Sandy Brondello’s coaching staff last season. She was considered a candidate for the Liberty as recently as Friday.
Her departure leaves three holes on the Liberty’s bench that need to be filled.
Brondello, whom the Liberty fired last month, was hired this week to be the Toronto Tempo’s first head coach.
The Wings are set to hire South Florida women’s coach Jose Fernandez, and the Fire have inked a deal with Cavaliers assistant Alex Sarama to be their first head coach.
Brondello’s husband, Olaf Lange, who served as an assistant on her staff in New York, left the Liberty after this season.
With Raman off the market, the Liberty’s pool of candidates includes former Nets assistant Will Weaver, G League head coach Joseph Blair and Mercury associate head coach Kristi Toliver.
While there’s plenty of uncertainty regarding what rosters may look like next season since the majority of players are free agents, Raman has an opportunity to work closely with one of the league’s most exciting prospects, Malonga, who has drawn comparisons to Victor Wembanyama.
