It would seem the New York Liberty had the solution in their own backyard. “We need to nail this,” GM Jonathan Kolb emphasized regarding their next head coach. “If we’re going to make a bold decision like this, our players deserve to get the best, and so we’ll take the time necessary.” Safe to say they are taking their time, but others aren’t, as the  Seattle Storm have reportedly nabbed their assistant, Sonia Raman.

Raman was with the Liberty for just one year, but she is a highly regarded head coach in the arena. She has had more than a decade of coaching experience across various levels. From 2008-2020, Raman was the head coach at Division III MIT. She parlayed her success there to an assistant coach role with the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies from 2020-2024. Talking about her time as an assistant with the Grizzlies and the Liberty, Noa Dalzell pointed out her good relationships with the players. 

“She’s somebody that Memphis players had a strong connection with and was one of those coaches that you root for if you want to kind of see them take that next step. And that was my understanding from Liberty players as well.” Dalzell said on WNBA Today on CLNS.

Dalzell is particularly pointing out Celtics forward Xavier Tillman, who practiced and played under Raman at the Grizzlies. “She (Raman) 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.” Tillman told SB Nation, “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.” 

It’s clear Raman is tactically sound while communicating with different types of players, while helping them improve. “I know that multiple teams looked at Sonia as a prospective candidate. The Seattle Storm gets the pick. I don’t know if she had other concrete offers. We might get that reporting down the road. But she certainly seems like a great selection. And that also means now that the New York Liberty does not have her as a potential option to head the franchise.” Dalzell said further. 

The Liberty fired Sandy Brondello, the winningest coach in their history, who had secured backing from Breanna Stewart. It was a questionable decision, to say the least. Kolb insisted it was not because of the result but the process behind the scenes. “Very serious thought and consideration was made to retaining Sandy, but ultimately, we determined that evolution and innovation is what is needed at this time,” Kolb said. But is there anyone better than Sandy in the market? Raman was an emerging prospect, but they have lost her, too. In Liberty’s loss its Seattle Storm’s gain. Let’s look at how Raman could make Kolb regret not hiring her.

Sonia Raman Brings New York Liberty Level Ambition To Seattle Storm

Sandy Brondello embodied the iconic Billie Jean King quote, “Pressure is Privilege.” She knew what being the head coach of a team like the New York Liberty entailed. And of course, that attitude would have watered down to Sonia Raman. Raman will move to a Seattle Storm side that fired Noelle Quinn. However, that wasn’t a surprising move as Storm have been underperforming for a few seasons now. They have had finals-worthy squads on paper, but only managed the first round of the playoffs. 

“She was big on putting in extra work — big on film, watching, and preparation,” Xavier Tillman said. “So, she was one of those coaches who — you get what you put in.” At Storm, she will have young phenom Dominique Malonga to work with.  Raman’s technical knowledge, attained from years of experience and the sense of ambition attained from New York Liberty, could help Storm through the next step in their progression. The CBA situation means there is little certainty for next season. Every team is starting with an almost clean slate and rebuilding from the ground up. 

The cultural familiarity is what would have made Raman an ideal successor to Brondello. We could see Storm having a similar team composition and culture. It will help them evolve from an underperforming team to a serial winner. Meanwhile, Liberty keeps searching for the next coach who will have to buy into Kolb’s ideas and rebuild a team while being expected to bring results. It’s an interesting choice from Liberty, which is hoping to find its ideal candidate.