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Noelle Quinn’s rise to Seattle Storm head coach comes with a purpose

(Josh Huston/NBAE)

Noelle Quinn spent Memorial Day Weekend in a WNBA whirlwind. In the span of 72 hours, she went from being an associate head coach of the Seattle Storm to giving an introductory press conference as their new head coach. The very next day, she guided the Storm to an 88-73 win over the Indiana Fever.

“I think the emotions of everything, I was kind of floating in that it was very surreal,” Quinn says. “But understanding we have a game to play and I was just trying to stay focused on that, it was a lot.”

Quinn and the Storm coaching staff knew Dan Hughes was eventually going to retire. Seattle was already a couple of weeks into the season, but Hughes ultimately felt it was the right time after 20-plus years of coaching in the WNBA and three with the Storm. As his successor, Quinn became the first Black female head coach in the history of the franchise.

“(I have) incredible respect for Dan and what he’s meant to the league and the organization. Learned a lot from him and will continue to learn from him,” Quinn says. “So I thank God, knowing that I’m the first at something but also that I can pave the way for someone coming up to also have an opportunity and can continue on the legacy, continue on the assistant coaching tree, so to speak.”

Quinn has made the transition look seamless. Since taking over as head coach, she’s led the Storm to a 7-3 record, including a six-game win streak, that’s allowed them to maintain their hold on first place. Seattle leads the WNBA in total assists (365), assists per game (22.8) and effective field goal percentage (52.7). For a team that thrives on chemistry on and off the court, the Storm have gelled faster and better than even they expected this season with a handful of new players on the roster.

Quinn, a former WNBA player and champion with the Storm, has a knack for connecting with her players and creating a team bond. At 36 years old, she’s also relatable. One of the first messages Quinn delivered to her team after assuming the role of head coach was that they needed to get back to having fun.

“Basketball is what we do, it’s not who we are,” Quinn said during her introduction on May 31. “Our joy comes from within, honestly, and nobody can take that away from us. I think we are at our best when we’re having fun.”

Where Quinn comes from, it’s just one lesson from a deep, layered basketball education.

***

Quinn never set out to be a basketball coach. Her goal was to “keep playing and hooping” as long as possible. But over the course of her long playing career, something shifted.

“I used to have a notebook — I still have a notebook — of plays that I would like over the course of years of playing, that coaches would cook up, and maybe innately I was building my mind to become a coach,” she says. “(I) just kind of always was a student of the game. I always watched a lot of basketball, no matter what the level.”

That journey started at Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, Calif., where the marquee hasn’t changed since Quinn took the job in Seattle. “Congratulations Noelle Quinn ‘03,” it reads. “Head Coach WNBA Seattle Storm.”

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(Josh Huston/NBAE)

Quinn first arrived at Bishop Montgomery in 1998 as an eighth grader and, over the course of four years, led the Lady Knights to four state championships. Steve Miller, the assistant principal, still remembers meeting Quinn when she toured the school with her mother. Even after Quinn moved on to a standout career at UCLA and a 12-year stint in the WNBA, Miller stayed close with her.

“I called her that Sunday right away when I heard she was named the head coach, and I can’t be prouder of her. She deserves it, without a doubt,” he says. “It doesn’t surprise me that it was quietly done, but that’s just how (Noelle) rolls.”

In 2016, when Quinn was still playing in the WNBA, she returned to Bishop Montgomery to take over as head coach of the women’s basketball team — her first head coaching position. The Lady Knights won the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section (CIF) championship in her first season.

Quinn’s coaching goal on a day-to-day basis was about more than basketball. She focused on inspiring the young women and making sure they knew she cared about them as much individually as she did collectively.

“A lot of those kids may not go on to play Division I or play basketball for the rest of their lives, so if all they have is four years of the high school setting, it becomes (important) for me to be a light for them, inspire them, show them the way, care about them,” says Quinn. “That’s what I really enjoyed.”

“She changed so many lives the moment she walked back on campus,” Miller says. “Wherever she goes, she does that. I know that the girls know how special it is that they were able to have that opportunity to be coached by her. … She got 100 percent out of each one of those players. It doesn’t matter if they were the star of the team or the fifteenth person, she made them all very special.”

***

Even if Quinn didn’t see her own coaching potential, her coaches, teammates, friends and mentors did.

At UCLA, where Quinn averaged 17.1 points, 4.2 assists and 7.4 rebounds per game, she was known for making those around her better. After graduating in 2007, Quinn was drafted fourth overall by the Minnesota Lynx. As a rookie, she set a franchise record for most assists (14) in the final game of the season, and her season assist total (148) tied a franchise record held by WNBA great Teresa Edwards.

Quinn played for five teams over 12 years — the Lynx, Sparks, Mystics, Mercury and Storm — and was respected for her leadership, reliability and versatility. During that time, she also played for a lot of great coaches, including Sandy Brondello, Brian Agler and Jenny Boucek. Quinn would study their approach and their preparation, watch how they managed their players, take note of their demeanor and keep a mental list of what she liked and didn’t like.

“She’s just always been steady. She never gets too high, she never gets too low,” says UCLA alum and women’s basketball legend Ann Meyers Drysdale. “To me, she’s just always observing and seeing what’s next. She played for five teams, and I think she was solid everywhere she went and constantly learning.”

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Five of Quinn's 12 WNBA seasons as a player came with the Storm. (Leon Bennett/Getty Images)

Sometimes players wonder why coaches do the things they do, say the things they say. Quinn not only understands the dynamic, she also coaches from that very angle. She explains where she’s coming from when she draws up plays, makes substitutions and talks to her team during a timeout. She knows players appreciate the context because she’s been in their position.

“As a player, I was doing a lot of the same things in the locker rooms. In timeouts, I was helping everyone, and so that kind of made it a seamless transition because I’m essentially doing the same thing I was doing later on in my career,” Quinn says. “Just to have that camaraderie from playing pour over into our relationship as player and coach, we can talk through things, we can learn from each other still.”

It helps that Quinn played with four players she’s now coaching in Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd and Jordin Canada. They won a championship together as players in 2018 and again when Quinn was an assistant coach in 2020.

During their last season playing together in 2018, Bird says there were multiple times when she’d be about to walk onto the court after a timeout and Quinn would say, “Hey, you might want to run this play because this team is doing this.” From those glimpses into Quinn’s feel for the game, Bird knew Quinn was ready to be a head coach.

“I think it’s a step that’s been needed, and a step that will probably open more doors for more women, for more former players, for people of color,” Bird said, adding, “The things that (Noelle) has, the things that a lot of former players have, you just can’t teach.”

***

When the WNBA first began in 1997, there were eight teams and seven female coaches. Today there are four, a group that now includes Quinn.

Opportunity is something Quinn has spoken about a lot. It’s important, she says, for WNBA front offices to understand that players are capable of leading a team. But unless former players are given opportunities, the lack of female coaches in the league (or in the NBA) won’t change.

“I’ve said this for years, broadcasting, that why shouldn’t the players take over just like they have in the NBA?” Drysdale says. “The majority of coaches, not all of them, but the majority of coaches in the NBA have been players. There’s no reason five years into the WNBA that that wasn’t happening. … I’m not saying anything against coaches that are in the league now. They’re all terrific. But at some point, I’d like to get the majority again being women coaches.”

Quinn thinks it’s already shifting in that direction.

“As you look around the league there are a lot of former players that are on staffs right now. To have the ability to stay within the game, I think a lot of players would want to do that,” she says. “Especially making that transition from playing basketball all our lives to deciding what we want to do, it’s just an avenue that a lot of players would love. But to have an opportunity is the biggest thing.”

When Quinn spoke about becoming the first Black female head coach in Storm history in her introductory press conference, she didn’t hold back emotion. She reeled off a list of all the Black women who came before her as WNBA head coaches and helped pave the way:

Pokey Chatman; Teresa Edwards; Jennifer Gillom; Carolyn Jenkins; Vickie Johnson; Trudi Lacey; Cynthia Cooper; Cheryl Miller; Carolyn Peck; Julie Rousseau; Amber Stocks; Karleen Thompson; Shell Dailey; Jessie Kenlaw; Cathy Parson; Taj McWilliams-Franklin; Denise Taylor; Penny Toler.

“What’s interesting is only one person on that list is still in our league, and that’s Vickie Johnson,” Quinn says. “Now I have younger generations understanding that it is possible, that this job is for young girls who look like me. I think the opportunity for younger generations to understand that we’re more than just athletes, I understand the weight of that.”

Now that Quinn has the opportunity in her hands, she’s intent on making the most of it. The Storm have high expectations. They have the talent and experience to make it back to the WNBA Finals and repeat as champions. And Quinn has embraced that challenge head on.

She knows what it takes, after all.

“It’s twofold,” she says. “It does feel like it puts pressure (on you) to be successful, but at the end of the day, when you are given the opportunity, you want to be able to show that you can do it.

“And those opportunities should come more frequently, more often.”

US Tennis Stars Advance as Wimbledon Field Narrows

Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates her first-round win over Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini fell in the second round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

US tennis star Emma Navarro eyes a return during a 2025 Wimbledon match.
US star Emma Navarro will face 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková in Wimbledon's Round of 32. (Rob Newell/CameraSport via Getty Images)

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

Finland Opens Women’s Euro 2025 with Upset Upset Win Over Iceland

Finland's Katariina Kosola and Emma Koivisto celebrate a goal during their opening 2025 Euro match.
Finland earned a surprise 1-0 win over Iceland in their 2025 Euro opener on Wednesday. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

Spain jersey hang in lockers ahead of the team's 2025 Euro opening match against Portugal.
Reigning World Cup champions Spain will open their 2025 Euro account against Portugal. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

USWNT Caps Summer Friendlies with 3-0 Canada Shutout

Yazmeen Ryan, Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Mandy McGlynn, and Izzy Rodriguez and the rest of the USWNT huddle after their July 2025 friendly win over Canada.
The USWNT finished the summer international window with 11 goals, conceding none, across three matches. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

Seattle Storm Looks to Climb the WNBA Standings in Weekend Gauntlet

Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike high-fives teammates as she's introduced before a 2025 WNBA game.
The No. 5 Seattle Storm will face No. 4 Atlanta and No. 3 New York this weekend. (Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images)

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

  • No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.
  • No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.

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