As the WNBA kicks off their 29th season, the four-time champions, Seattle Storm, tip their 25th season off against the Phoenix Mercury this weekend. The Storm are looking to build on their top-five ranking in the Western Conference last season. In her sixth season as head coach, two-time WNBA champion Noelle Quinn will utilize her unique coaching style to lead the Storm team back to prominence this season.
Often, teams take on the personality of their head coach, and Quinn is not shy about it. She embraces her foundation that was developed growing up in the streets of the South-Central section of Los Angeles, CA., where for many, being a gangster is a way of life.
Though gangster rap may glorify the street mentality, this same mindset has enabled numerous individuals to excel in their lives and employ this energy while overcoming the adversity and challenges they endure while growing up in the poverty-stricken inner-cities of America. Quinn, a self-proclaimed gangster, discussed with me how this mentality impacted her life and her coaching career.
“It was good that I had an opportunity to articulate my definition. It’s taking care of business, being a leader, being from where I’m from, it wasn’t a negative thing at all,” Coach Quinn explained why she proclaimed herself a gangster. “It’s about… holding yourself to a standard and being accountable for that standard. I’m not trying to promote anything negative, it’s all super positive, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to articulate that!”
Quinn used this mentality to earn four California High School Basketball Championships and one Volleyball championship. She has always been full of advice and often recognized for making all her teammates better players on the court.
By leading her teams to four California High School Basketball Championships and one Volleyball championship, in 2004 she was named the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Pac-10 while at UCLA. She was a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award in 2005. she was also a Finalist for the Naismith Award in 2007, and a finalist for the State Farm Wade Trophy as the national player of the year award, before being selected by the Minnesota Lynx as the 4th pick of the 2007 WNBA Draft.
“I grew up watching the ‘Showtime Lakers’. I loved Magic Johnson, so as a big guard he [kind of] inspired me. When I played the game, I wanted to play the right way; be a good teammate, and ultimately win.” Quinn told the Los Angeles News Observer. “Basketball teaches you a lot about life and life skills. It teaches you how to work with people; you’ll have teammates you love, teammates who [you] don’t necessarily rock with or vibe with. Basketball has also taught me the importance of hard work.”
This season’s roster will be vastly different that the team they finished the season with last season. Gone is their leading scorer from last season, Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike, Gabby Williams, and Ezi Magbegor are the only returning players. Making their pre-season efforts to build a culture even more critical to the team’s growth and development.
“The biggest focus has been our culture. In our off-season, the front office has done a good job of bringing in good-hearted people who are hungry and on a mission, and we’re starting there,” Quinn said. “Offensive takes a little bit of time. Now, we have a core group that has been through this system for two seasons. Adding Gabby and Ezi in the mix will help with that.”
“Seattle has a standard of excellence. A winning organization, an amazing facility Championships, and a big legacy,” Quinn added. “Everyone that’s in this environment has that same mindset. Was very particular with the people we brought in.”
One of the players brought in to help them earn their 20th trip to the WNBA playoffs is the seven-year veteran, a WNBA Champion, and former Los Angeles Sparks guard, Lexie Brown.
“It’s amazing. I have admired her path from a player, assistant coach, coach to champion,” said Brown about the development path of her new head coach (Quinn). “I never had a former player as a coach; I think that might be the missing link to my career, is having that connectivity with my head coach. Because that’s something that’s been severely lacking in my career.”
Three-time WNBA Champion, two-time All-Defensive Player Award winner, and 2023 6th Man of the Year award winner Alysha Clark has also been brought back to be reunited with Quinn and the Storm.
“Me and her are already locked in. We have had amazing conversations about what she needs from me every single day and it’s been a really good relationship.” veteran forward Alysha Clark said of her head coach Quinn. “It’s who she is! It’s who she’s always been. I love Noe (Noelle)! Noe has been one of my closest friends for a long time now. We won championships (emphasizing pleural) together.”
“She’s smart as hell, and she’s dedicated. The time that she’s putting into every single player; like how can I put this player in a position to be successful, she’s very meticulous about it,” explains veteran utility player Gabby Williams when asked about what sets Quinn apart from other coaches.
The Storm has a good mix of veterans and young players to be excited about this season. Last season they cut their defensive rating per game from 105.8 to 98.6, while increasing their offensive rating from 98.7 in 2023 to 104.2 in 2024. If you are craving the NBA’s return to Seattle, this is the best pro hoops squad in town for you to enjoy until then, and coach Quinn has a message for you.
“Stay tuned! We’re cooking up something great,” Quinn says in response to Northwest basketball fans about this 2025 season. “We have a veteran group. We have a good mix of young energy. I think that bolds well for some good basketball.”
In their season opener, the Phoenix Mercury led the Seattle Storm by as much as 27 points. Skylar Diggins led the team with 21 points and chipped in with four steals, four assists, three rebounds, and a blocked shot. With her fourth steal, Diggins set her career high for steals in a season opener and matched her personal best for takeaways in a Storm uniform.
“First off, all credit the Phoenix Mercury. We got outrebounded; we didn’t make our free throws, and we missed shots that are uncharacteristic for us. I don’t think I did a good job getting us organized like I wanted to,” said Storm point guard Smith. “They got the jump on us from the beginning. They kicked our ass; it’s embarrassing!
Nneka Ogwumike recorded 12 points on 50% (5-of-10) shooting from the field and added seven rebounds and two steals. Ogwumike passed DeLisha Milton-Jones for 10th on the WNBA’s all-time steals list, with her second steal of the game. Yet the Storm’s inability to contain the Mercury’s forward Satou Sabally, who scored a game-high 27 points, led to the Storm suffering their first loss of the season.
“They have a point forward in AT (Alyssa Thomas), that points our defense in a different position. Having someone like Satou (Sabally), who also can play in the backcourt, the front court, and puts a lot of pressure on the different match-ups,” said veteran Storm forward Ogwumike. “The way we organize the offense as two forwards, it’s a challenge and that’s not something I felt we responded well to.”
“Not having Nneka (Ogwumike) on the floor early on really hurt us. That’s a great deal of our efficiency and what we can do in the paint,” coach Quinn explained after their opening-day loss to the Mercury post-game. “I thought we weren’t intentional. But also, we were getting sped up. I think we allowed their defense to dictate what we did offensively.”
The Storm will now head to Dallas to play the Wings for a chance to earn its first win of the season against the Wings. A new Dallas lineup includes Arike Ogunbowale, Paige Bueckers, DiJonai Carrington, Myisha Hines-Allen, and NaLyssa Smith. Tip-off is set for 5:00 pm PT and will be nationally televised on NBA TV and shown locally on the CW Seattle.
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