Coach Quinn Out as Head Coach of the Storm

Seattle will begin searching for a new Head Coach immediately.

Today, the Seattle Storm organization announced that they have parted ways with Head Coach Noelle Quinn.

Per the team’s press release, they said:

“On behalf of our organization, I would like to thank Noelle for her time with the Storm.  Her commitment to the ongoing success of our organization and to furthering the development of our players was second to none,” said Storm General Manager Talisa Rhea. “She put us in a position to win at the highest levels of the game and for that, we are grateful.”

Quinn started her Storm career as a player in 2013 and continued her tenure from 2016-2018, including being a member of the 2018 WNBA championship team.  Upon her retirement as a player, Quinn immediately stepped into the role as an assistant coach with the Storm in 2019. She progressed to associate head coach in 2020, when the Storm won their fourth WNBA championship. In 2021, Quinn was named head coach of the franchise. She has the second most wins of any coach in Storm history and helped lead the team to four postseason appearances during her five-year head coaching tenure. 

It’s a move that wasn’t unexpected. Quinn led the Storm to a 97-89 record in nearly five full seasons (Coach Dan Hughes coached the first six games of the 2021 season before Quinn took over). However, she struggled to lead her team in the postseason. Quinn had a 3-8 record in the WNBA playoffs and won just one playoff series (against the Washington Mystics in the first round in 2022). She couldn’t lead the team past the first round in any of the other seasons.

Quinn’s crowning achievement as a Head Coach was leading the 2021 Storm to become the inaugural Commissioner’s Cup Championship (mid-season tournament). They were one of the best teams in the first half of the season, but struggled in the second half of that season. A trend that would happen throughout her tenure. Unfortunately, and to no fault of Quinn’s, Breanna Stewart’s body failed her as she partially tore her other Achilles’ tendon a couple of games before the playoffs would begin that season.

Other positives are that younger players like Ezi Magbegor and Gabby Williams became first-time WNBA All-Stars under Coach Quinn. Jordan Horston showed great improvement from her Rookie season to Year 2. Rookie Dominique Malonga also developed quite well from the start of her rookie season until the very end.

Unfortunately, there were other negatives. Quinn’s over-reliance on her starters and inability to develop the bench were consistent issues. They likely were directly related to the Storm’s struggles each year as the team progressed deeper into the season. In 2025, the team specifically blew many late-game leads. They lost several close games, which often come down to coaching. It also felt like the Storm struggled with halftime or late-game adjustments.

From a personal standpoint, Coach Noelle Quinn was always good to me and the rest of the Seattle media. A lot of times, Quinn was very transparent with her answers, sometimes even when it may not have put her in the best light. But I appreciated that honesty, instead of cookie-cutter non-answers.

Unfortunately, this is a results-based business. I do believe Quinn was given a fair opportunity. Five seasons is a lot for most coaches. Outside of the 2023 season which Stewie left the team high-and-dry, and Sue Bird retired, Quinn was always given a roster that should have been expected to make a deep playoff run. Entering this season, I felt Quinn needed to lead the team to at least the semi-finals to keep her job secured. She got close, but they weren’t able to get it done. It also didn’t help that the team played worse in 2025 than they did in 2024. They finished 5th in the standings last year and 7th this season.

I’ve seen additional reports that Quinn’s entire staff is being dismissed. That doesn’t come as a surprise. It’s extremely rare for assistant coaches to be retained if the Head Coach is relieved of their duties. Generally, a brand-new Head Coach wants the ability to choose their own assistants. Even Quinn got rid of Coach Gary Kloppenburg, who led the Storm to their 2020 Championship, after the 2021 season.

It’ll be interesting to see who the Storm hire as their next head coach. They could look to add a college coach or an assistant from either the WNBA or NBA.

It’s going to be a busy off-season for the Storm. And the WNBA in general, as the league needs to agree to a new CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) before they can have the expansion drafts for Toronto and Portland, then regular Free Agency, and then the WNBA amateur draft in which the Storm are guaranteed a Top 5 lottery pick.

No matter what happens, the Storm’s future is very bright with Dominique Malonga, Jordan Horston, and that lottery selection.

Notes:
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