The chants of “We want Nola” echoed in the College Park Center last year. The Dallas Wings fans were furious at their coach Chris Koclanes and wanted him replaced by assistant coach Nola Henry midseason. As we know, the Wings stuck with Chris Koclanes until the season ended before firing him. They hired Jose Fernandez to replace him. Henry will not continue on their support staff, as she has just been hired by the Las Vegas Aces. 

The WNBA and the Las Vegas Aces are entering a torrential offseason. Until now, everything was paused because of the stuck CBA negotiations. After the WNBPA unanimously approved the deal and the the WNBA Board of Governors voted in favor, we can finally move on to the future. With a free agency featuring 100+ players and the expansion and rookie draft on the horizon, the Aces have announced Nola Henry as a coaching addition to support Becky Hammon. 

“Nola brings a fresh, young coaching perspective to our group this year,” Becky Hammon said in the release. “She’s a very cerebral coach who sees the game at a high level and the way she can connect with players on and off the court will be a valuable asset to our staff. She brings great energy to the group, along with a wealth of WNBA experience, and that will be advantageous as we seek our fourth championship this season.”

Nola has literally worked up from the ground. She started as an equipment manager with the Connecticut Sun with Curt Miller as the coach. She followed Miller to LA, becoming the player development coach with the Sparks. After two years there, she went to Dallas, where Miller was the General Manager. 

Henry got her first WNBA experience as an intern with the Connecticut Sun in 2020. She was part of the staff when the Sun reached the finals in 2021. After that, she worked as an assistant basketball operations manager between 2021 and 2022. She spent the next two years with the Los Angeles Sparks as a player development and assistant coach. Before joining the Wings’ coaching staff, Henry got her first experience as a head coach. 

She was one of six coaches to lead a team during Unrivaled’s inaugural season and led Rose BC to the league’s first title. During her second season, the team finished 6-8 and was knocked out by Paige Bueckers Breeze in the quarterfinals. But she has formed close bonds as an Unrivaled head coach, as Angel Reese, one of her key players, wished Henry after joining the Aces. “Congrats, Nola! So deserving! “@777NRH,” wrote Reese. At Rose, she also coached Aces guard Chelsea Gray, who performed really well under her. 

“I’m truly excited and honored to join the Las Vegas Aces organization,” Henry said. “The opportunity to work alongside Becky and help coach the best players in the world means a lot to me. It’s a privilege I don’t take lightly, and I’m grateful to be part of something so special.” The Aces have already formed a dynasty under Hammon by winning 3 of their last 4 titles. The challenge they face is to continue their dominance through this period of massive change. And Nola Henry would be key in retaining their important pieces and bringing in new ones.  

Las Vegas Aces Could Lean On Nola Henry In A Key Aspect Of The New Era

Nola Henry’s Unrivaled resume is probably her strongest. In a new tournament, she was getting her first experience as a head coach. She built rosters from scratch in a completely new system. Despite the challenges and the novelty of the role and the tournament, Henry won the championship. She had top players like Reese, Gray, Kahleah Copper among others. But there was one problem she exclusively faced. 

“So we were one club, we were the only club where no one had played together on their current WNBA teams,” Henry has said. “Kahleah and Azura Stevens have played together before in Chicago, and then Chelsea and Ka in the Olympics. But in terms of being on a team for a substantial amount of time within that year, we didn’t have anybody. So it took a little bit of time for us to gel and just to figure things out.”

In the process, Henry learned to forge new relationships and build team chemistry from scratch. Now, the upcoming free agency promises a big change for every team. Considering the Aces are such a successful franchise, they will try to keep most of the team the same. According to reports from Callie Fin of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Wilson is already slated to re-sign with the Las Vegas Aces on a deal worth $1.4 million annually. 

But with the expansion draft and the new financial reality, there will be a refreshed squad that will require some chemistry building. That’s where Nola Henry will play a key role in this coaching staff.