Memphis Grizzlies has hired Sonia Raman as the new assistant coach. This is a professional basketball team in the US, that competes in the National Basketball Association (NBA). With this, Raman became the third Indian-origin coach in NBA history and the first Indian-American woman to be appointed as an assistant coach of an NBA league team.
About Sonia Raman
Prior to being appointed as an assistant coach for Memphis Grizzlies Raman did a 12-season stint as the head women’s basketball coach at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of the Memphis Grizzlies coaching staff,” Raman said in a statement. She has also become the second female coach in Grizzlies' history, Niele Ivey being the first woman assistant coach in 2019-20, preceding her.
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Overall, Sonia Raman is the 14th female assistant coach in the history of NBA and the 10th coaching staff in the league. She is also the seventh female coach to be hired as an assistant in the league since the beginning of the 2019-20 season. According to ESPN, she will replace Ivey, who joined as the head coach at the University of Notre Dame. Raman's will start on her new job on 1 November.
What You Should Know
- Memphis Grizzlies announced the hiring of Indian-American Sonia Raman as an assistant coach.
- Sonia Raman has spent 12 years as women’s basketball coach at MIT.
- She is the third Indian-origin coach in the history of NBA.
- Raman is also the first Indian-American woman to be appointed as an assistant coach of an NBA league team.
At MIT, Raman led the students to back-to-back conference titles in 2018 and 2019, earning the most wins as a coach in the program’s history, as per her official bio on MIT's athletic website. “We are beyond excited to welcome Sonia to the Memphis Grizzlies,” said Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins in a news release, adding, “She has a high basketball IQ and a tremendous ability to teach the game, as well as a strong passion for the game. She is going to be a great addition to our current coaching staff,” The Guardian reported.
Raman started her coaching career at Tufts University, the same college from where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations in 1996. After a two-year stint, she spent six years as the top assistant coach at Wellesley College before joining MIT.
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When not coaching, Raman "serves on the advisory board for Find the Courage, a nonprofit organization that inspires, educates and empowers young people to be positive leaders promoting kindness, inclusion, encouragement, compassion, respect and resiliency in their communities," the MIT website notes.
She was also named the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (Newmac) Coach of the Year, twice.
Feature Image Credit: The Boston Globe
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