Hiedeman Ready to Lead the Way

Natisha Hiedeman takes on a new challenge in Seattle.

The Seattle Storm had to make a difficult decision this offseason. Were they going to bring back Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins or take this opportunity to go with a (mostly) clean slate? It could have been a tough decision because both Ogwumike and Diggins showed that they can still contribute at a high level. The problem was that after two seasons in Seattle, they weren’t able to get past the first round of the playoffs. And the 2025 regular season was more disappointing than the 2024 season (finished 7th in the WNBA in 25 and 5th in 24). The team was trending downwards, and their veterans were getting older. After relieving Coach Noelle Quinn of her head coaching duties and bringing in Sonia Raman, it made it easier to start over. A fresh start for the franchise and to all of those involved.

By making that decision, however, the team lost one of the game’s best point guards in Skylar Diggins. Diggins will be difficult to replace in one season because she’s an elite scorer who is also very talented at getting her teammates the ball. Diggins was tied with Veronica Burton for the third-best assist average per game last season at 6.0 APG.

Seattle may need to make up for Skylar’s absence in the aggregate. The first player to get that opportunity will be Natisha Hiedeman. Hiedeman was the Storm’s first free agency acquisition this offseason as the team looked to go younger and build around players like Dominique Malonga and Jordan Horston.

Before the Studbudz became a viral sensation. Before the pink hair. Natisha Hiedeman had carved out a nice career for herself in the WNBA. She was drafted in the 2nd round (18th overall) by the Minnesota Lynx, but was immediately traded by Minnesota to the Connecticut Sun for Lexie Brown. Hiedeman was actually waived as a rookie at the end of training camp. She eventually re-signed with the Sun during the 2019 season.

Over the next two years, she worked hard to become a strong contributor off the bench for Connecticut, averaging between 6.0 and 8.0 PPG. In 2021, she shot 40% from beyond the three-point arc, demonstrating her excellent shooting ability. Her production on the court earned her a starting role in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, she averaged a career-high in points (9.1 PPG) and assists (3.3 APG) as she helped lead the Sun to a 25-11 record and a trip to the WNBA Finals.

After another positive season in 2023, she was traded back to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Tiffany Mitchell and a second-round pick. During her arrival in Minnesota, she was asked to come off the bench in a reserve role behind one of the Lynx’s top free agent acquisitions, Courtney Williams.

I talked to Hiedeman about the adjustments going from a starter to a reserve role and if that changes her approach.

“I feel like I take both the same, you know? I don’t think it matters to me, coming off the bench, starting, like, the impact that you have on the game is gonna be the impact that you have on the game… Every time I step on the floor, I just want to compete. I wanna play basketball to the best of my ability.” Hiedeman said.

She will be taking on more responsibility this season. Natisha, or “T” as she likes to be called, is projected to be the Seattle Storm’s starting point guard this year. Hiedeman will be asked to take on more challenges than her time in Minnesota.

“I think now more so, it’s just a lot more leadership. Like coach said, just getting everybody in the right spots, and being somebody that if anybody has a question or anybody needs anything, they can always know that they can turn to me. So I think my role is more so just focused on making sure everybody’s comfortable on the court, that we’re having fun, and that we’re jelling.” She added.

Hiedeman went more into her leadership style.

“I would just say that I feel like I’ve really taken the time to get to know each of the people who I’m playing with, because I feel like it’s important for the point guard to have those relationships. So, just really helping with all the knowledge that I’ve learned through the years, just kind of putting that on them and helping them because I had really good vets for my whole career.” Natisha stated.

She made sure to add, “I would just (tell them) to have fun. I think that’s the most important thing. Like, remember why you started playing basketball, just have fun and enjoy the moment. You made it this far, so just enjoy it.”

I spoke with Coach Sonia Raman to get her sense of Hiedeman’s leadership during training camp.

“She’s such a good floor general. And I think that she’s been really helpful for me and just being an extension of our coaching staff, you know, talking to us about what we want out there, relaying that to her teammates. And she’s obviously still learning as well, right? So learning the system on both ends, but she’s giving us a lot of feedback on what’s working, what might need to be tweaked, and more importantly, just getting her teammates organized, and putting them in positions to be successful.” Raman told me.

Hiedeman also gave her feedback on her new head coach.

“Coach, so smooth. I ain’t gonna lie. I feel like she just has so much knowledge, and I feel like she really cares about us. She’s really uplifting, and I feel like we just have so many different talents on the team that she’s really putting everybody in the right places to be successful. So I think that’s the best part.”

“T” isn’t a stranger to good coaches. She played under Curt Miller in Connecticut and for Cheryl Reeve in Minnesota. She played in the WNBA Finals with both franchises. I asked her what the most important lesson she’s learned from those moments.

“I mean, I feel like just preparing for the moment, like, when we’re prepared, you know what I’m saying? At the moment, it doesn’t feel too big, so I just feel like that starts up at day one. It’s building on each and every single day. So, when the playoffs come, when everything comes, we are at the right spot.”

They will need to be prepared. There will be several challenges that the 2026 Seattle Storm team will face. They’ve already been dealing with injuries. They will start the season without a few key players. It’s practically a brand new team. There will be at least five new players this season, and that doesn’t even include Jordan Horston or Katie Lou Samuelson, who missed all of last year. There is a brand new coach, Sonia Raman, who is a first-time head coach in the WNBA. She’s had to teach everything from scratch over the past few weeks. And the majority of the players on the team are 25 years old or younger (Awa Fam is 19 and Dominique Malonga is 20). Only two players on the roster are currently over 30 years old (Lexie Brown and Stefanie Dolson).

And while this team will face its struggles and problems. This is a season that should embrace that. It’s OK to not get things right on Day 1. It’s OK if mistakes are made. This year is about growth and development. Growth for the young players. Growth for a brand-new head coach. It’s about establishing a new culture and building something from the ground up.

The storylines will talk about the team’s youngest players and their potential. What can Flau’jae Johnson do in her rookie season? How truly talented is Awa Fam? Can Dominique Malonga develop into the team’s #1 option at just 20 years old? But the questions about growth aren’t limited to just them. It’ll be for everyone on the team.

I asked Hiedeman if she had any specific goals for herself this season.

“I just want to win. Whatever we gotta do to win games, that’s what I’m trying to do. Whatever they need me to do, do that, that’s what I’m gonna try to do to the best of my ability.”

Well, T, starting Friday, you’ll have your chance!

Notes:
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Photography Credits: Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography, Me
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