Northwest

Noelle Quinn brings high basketball IQ, experience as Storm head coach

Northwest

Dan Hughes has officially retired from the WNBA.

Hughes, who arrived in Seattle in 2018 and helped lead the Storm to their third WNBA title, announced his retirement on Sunday, and revealed who will be his successor.

Meet Noelle Quinn, the seventh head coach in Storm history.

The name should ring a bell for Storm fans, considering she played for the team from 2016-18 and was part of the group that helped Seattle win a third championship in 2018. The following year, she became an assistant on Hughes’ staff.

As the Undefeated pointed out, Quinn joins Dallas Wings head coach Vickie Johnson as the only active Black female head coaches in the WNBA. There are two Black men’s head coaches — James Wade of the Chicago Sky and Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Sparks.

Hughes expressed his excitement to “hand the reins to Noelle.”

 

“She is well positioned to do this job and I am proud to have mentored her during my time here,” he said in a statement via the Storm. “I look forward to her and the team’s ongoing success."

Sue Bird also vocalized her support for the hiring.

In a statement via the team, the Storm icon said Quinn has “a very high basketball IQ and understanding of the game. She added, “her experiences as a player and assistant coach within our organization position her to excel in this role and I look forward to continuing this season under her leadership as our new head coach.”

Quinn will inherit a team that is off to a 5-1 to start to the WNBA season. Up next on Tuesday, Seattle takes on the Indiana Fever.