Sonia Raman's coaching career has roots in an accident that sidelined her as a young player

TL;DR

Sonia Raman's coaching career began after a car accident sidelined her as a player, leading her to assist her college team. She has since become the first Indian descent coach in the NBA and is now the head coach of the Seattle Storm.

Key points

Sonia Raman's coaching roots trace back to a car accident.
She became interested in coaching while recovering from her injury.
Raman was the winningest coach in MIT history.
She is the first Indian descent coach in the NBA.
Raman is now the head coach of the Seattle Storm.

Mentioned in this story

NBAWellesley CollegeSonia Raman

Seattle StormMIT Engineers

SEATTLE (AP) — Sonia Raman's coaching career has its roots in an unfortunate accident that sidelined her as a young player. The new Seattle Storm coach was a junior guard for Division III Tufts in the mid-90s when she was hit by a car as she crossed the street. She broke the tibia and fibula in her left leg, an injury that can still cause mild flareups 30 years later on rainy or humid days. “My first reaction was, ‘Scary,' and, ‘Am I okay?’” Raman said recently as she prepared for her first season at the helm of the Storm. “And, it was painful. And, I remember my second reaction being, ‘Oh no, I’m not going to be able to play basketball.'” She missed the second half of her junior season and the first half of her senior season. As Raman was rehabbing to get back into game shape, she became interested in finding other ways to help her team. “I really think that was where the coaching element started to take shape,” Raman said. “... It made me see the game from a different perspective, from the sideline, because I would stand right next to my assistant coach, or right behind my head coach." It became commonplace for Raman to corner head coach Janice Savitz and the rest of the staff in their offices. Raman begged them for videotapes so she could watch more games in her free time. Her goal wasn't to become a coach. She left Tufts with an international relations degree in 1996 and then received a law degree from Boston College Law School in 2001. Yet when Raman graduated from Tufts, she asked Savitz if she could stay on as an assistant. During a two-year stretch before she began law school, she helped out her alma mater, and worked for AmeriCorps and then as a solo practitioner for a paralegal during the day. “Burning it at both ends for sure,” Raman said with a chuckle. “But when you’re young, you don’t think about those kinds of things. You just pour in, and you show up and you just keep working. And, it didn’t feel like work because it’s just so fun to do."

A new path

Raman’s coaching career easily could have come to an end after law school. She took a job with the Employment Benefit Security Administration in the U.S. Department of Labor. Simultaneously, she accepted an offer to help out for one season at Wellesley College, where head coach Kathy Hagerstrom was going on parental leave. Raman ended up spending six seasons there. Hagerstrom frequently encouraged Raman to consider a head coaching role, which she ultimately did when she accepted a job at MIT in 2008. Julie Soriero, MIT’s athletic director at the time, was initially skeptical of Raman before interviewing her, and wondered if she viewed the job as an entryway into college athletics administration. "I was very curious why someone would leave a corporate law opportunity, the job she had, a corporate law job, and come to a Division III coaching opportunity,” Soriero said. "So, I was really looking forward to meeting her. And, when she came in for her interview, she did not disappoint.” Nor did she disappoint on the sideline. Raman had a firm understanding of the kind of athletes she needed to recruit, and under her watch, the Engineers enjoyed unprecedented success. MIT, a school that has historically struggled to win, went 91-45 across Raman’s final five seasons as she became the winningest coach in school history. “She just did a great job. And, that didn’t happen overnight,” Soriero said. “It really happened with a lot of patience on her part, a lot of learning and growing on her part, and a lot of dedication on her part. And step-by-step, she built it to a level to where we were competing for our conference championships year-in and year-out.”

Q&A

What accident influenced Sonia Raman's coaching career?

Sonia Raman was hit by a car while crossing the street, which sidelined her as a player and sparked her interest in coaching.

How did Sonia Raman transition from law to coaching?

After completing her law degree, Raman accepted a coaching position at Wellesley College, which led to her eventual head coaching role at MIT.

What achievements did Sonia Raman have at MIT?

During her tenure at MIT, Raman became the winningest coach in school history, leading the team to a 91-45 record over her final five seasons.

What is Sonia Raman's significance in the NBA?

Sonia Raman is the first person of Indian descent to coach in the NBA and the 14th woman to hold a coaching position in the league.