Raman worked for the Liberty under then-head coach Sandy Brondello for the 2025 season after spending 2020-2024 as an assistant with the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies. She was the first Indian American woman to be an NBA assistant and will make history as the first person person of Indian descent to be a head coach in the WNBA, something that informs her coaching.
“Certainly the work ethic that my parents have shaped me with, as immigrants to the US. Just seeing how hard they worked my whole life and still do has been my inspiration for how I approach everything I approach,” Raman told FIBA in 2020. “[In terms of what influenced me] I think it is much more family than necessarily literally Indian heritage but I think those two things obviously go hand in hand because [my family] is my Indian heritage. I think there is a respect for others, the work ethic that I mentioned, I think those are probably what shaped me the most.”
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Raman replaces Noelle Quinn, who served as head coach of the Storm from midway through the 2021 season and was not renewed after yet another first round playoff exit in 2025.
The 51-year-old Raman had been considered for WNBA head coaching roles in each of the past two offseasons and was widely considered to be among the assistants most prepared to become a head coach. When Raman was hired as an assistant for the Liberty, she was praised for her player development skills, as well as analytical knowledge and X’s and O’s. She played a key role in the Liberty’s offensive execution in late-game and after-timeout situations.
When she was hired by the Liberty, then head coach of the Grizzlies Taylor Jenkins, commented on how much she was going to bring to the New York team as an assistant. “I mean, her passion for player development, X’s and O’s, analytics, the way she studied the game back in her college days at MIT, and just having so much success there, bringing success with us in the last couple years of the Grizzlies. I’m fired up for her. I know she’s gonna mesh really well with the players and coaching staff there.”
Prior to coaching in the WNBA, Raman was the head coach of the MIT women’s basketball team for 12 seasons, from 2008 to 2020. Leading the Division III team in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), they won the program’s first two NEWMAC championships (2018 and 2019) and went to the championship game in 2020. Raman’s team also qualified for the NCAA tournament twice and compiled a 91-45 record (.669) in her final five seasons in charge.
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It is at MIT that Raman developed a reputation for constantly implementing new offensive sets, often attending Boston Celtics practices and returning to her team with new plays to implement. Her teams were also “unselfish” and “problem solvers.”
Before leading the Engineers to unprecedented success, Raman was the top assistant coach at Wellesley College from 2002-2008. Raman also played at Tufts University, joining the basketball team as a walk-on in 1992. She began developing her coaching abilities while unable to play after suffering a broken leg in her junior year. After graduating in 1996, she went to Boston College Law School and worked in organization compliance at the U.S. Department of Labor and Fidelity Investments.
Raman spoke with Boston College Law School Magazine in 2020 about how she applies her legal background to coaching. She draws from how she learned to problem solve and assess different situations from all angles in how she analyzes scouting reports, approaches coaches meetings and contributes to film sessions.
This analytical approach also applies to how she develops players. While with the Grizzlies she helped big Santi Aldama focus on finding shooters for higher percentage shots, successfully increasing his assists per game and drawing his praise.
“First and foremost, we’re looking for someone that’s going to develop relationships and really invest in the players and the staff that we will have here, just across the organization broadly,” general manager Talisa Rhea, who led the Storm’s coaching search, said in a September interview with The Seattle Times.
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The Storm’s new head coach will now face a situation similar to many WNBA teams where the majority of the roster are unrestricted free agents. All-Stars Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Brittney Sykes, Erica Wheeler, Gabby Williams and Ezi Magbegor will have to be convinced to play for a first year WNBA head coach if Seattle seeks their return to the Storm.
However, the Storm also have existing and incoming young players who could benefit from Raman’s player development specialty. Dominique Malonga, the No. 2 overall pick in 2025, will be a key piece of the team for years to come and showed immense growth over the course of her rookie season. Seattle also have two first round picks in the 2026 WNBA Draft by way of Las Vegas and Los Angeles. They also have Dallas’ second round pick and their own third-rounder.
The combination of developing numerous young players into top-tier pros and keeping veterans happy and performing at their best could be a perfect recipe for success (a la Natalie Nakase and the Golden State Valkyries) or too much responsibility for a first-year head coach. Only time will tell which way Raman’s Storm will pan out.
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