She said that Raman's basketball IQ and drive to learn are immeasurable. Lucia Robinson-Griggs, the head women’s basketball coach at Vassar College, served on Raman’s staff at MIT for eight years. But she brought an almost academic attention to detail that matched the institution. Even after Raman started, her teams didn’t have a winning season until the 2015-16 campaign. When Raman arrived on MIT’s campus in 2008, she inherited an Engineers program not known for success. But she’s also making a bit of history: She is the first woman of Indian descent to coach in the NBA.īut talk to anyone who knows her and it becomes clear why Memphis would hire a coach from a Division III school that’s far more likely to produce Nobel Laureates than first-round draft picks. Raman joins a number of coaches with Division III experience and a steady wave of women coaching in the league. Raman’s jump from MIT to NBA comes as the league broadens who it welcomes into its coaching ranks. “I don’t think as a Division III women’s basketball player you expect your coach to tell you that she’s resigning to go coach in the NBA.” And there was certainly just complete shock,” she said.
“So I couldn’t really hear their reactions, but I could see their faces. And not just because they had muted themselves. When she told her players at MIT she was taking the job, you could hear a pin drop over Zoom. Then Raman received a job offer from the Memphis Grizzlies, who announced her hiring in September. The all-time winningest coach for MIT women’s basketball, she had built a home in Cambridge over 12 years, a home she had no intention of leaving. “I have been proud to call MIT my home for the last 12 years,” said Raman, via today’s announcement from MIT.Sonia Raman wasn’t planning on moving across the country during a pandemic.
Prior to being named the head coach of the MIT women’s basketball program, Raman spent time as an assistant at alma mater Tufts University and Wellesley College. Raman is the winningest coach in program history and led the Engineers to 91 victories in the last five years. Portland, which secured the eighth seed in the Western Conference Playoffs, saw its championship hopes dashed by the Los Angeles Lakers ( LA beat Portland in five contests).Īt MIT, Raman guided the Engineers to a pair of New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament Championships, along with two appearances in the NCAA D-III Tournament. Memphis concluded its 2019-20 campaign with 34 wins and 39 losses – they fell short of advancing to the opening round of the National Basketball Association‘s (NBA) restarted playoffs in Orlando, Florida by losing to the Portland Trailblazers in a one-game playoff. She is going to be a great addition to our current coaching staff.” She has a high basketball IQ and a tremendous ability to teach the game, as well as a strong passion for the game. “I can’t wait to get to Memphis and get started with Taylor ( Jennings), his staff, and the team’s emerging young core.”Īdded Jennings, “We are beyond excited to welcome Sonia to the Memphis Grizzlies. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of the Memphis Grizzlies coaching staff,” Raman said, via today’s release, which can be found on the team’s website. Raman replaces Niele Ivey, who was recently named the head coach of the Notre Dame women’s basketball team back in April. Sonia Raman, who has guided the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) women’s basketball team for the past 12 seasons, was named an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies earlier today. Sonia Raman, who has coached the MIT women’s basketball team for 12 seasons, was named an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies.
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