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Seattle Storm’s Noelle Quinn talks to High Post Hoops about coaching transition

By David Yapkowitz

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 25: Noelle Quinn #45 of the Seattle Storm handles the ball against Chelsea Gray #12 of the Los Angeles Sparks during a WNBA basketball game at Staples Center on July 25, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 25: Noelle Quinn #45 of the Seattle Storm handles the ball against Chelsea Gray #12 of the Los Angeles Sparks during a WNBA basketball game at Staples Center on July 25, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Coaching is in Noelle Quinn’s future after retirement

The transition from player to coach is something that quite a few basketball players go through after retirement. It’s not always an easy one, and a successful transition is not always guaranteed.

But that’s the path that Noelle Quinn is hoping to find success in. Having announced her retirement from professional basketball last week, she will be joining Dan Hughes’ staff on the Seattle Storm this upcoming WNBA season. She isn’t a stranger to coaching, however.

Since 2016, Quinn has been the head coach of the girls’ basketball team at Bishop Montgomery High School during the WNBA offseason. She was a star there, having led the Lady Knights to four California state championships, three regional championships, and three division championships.

She was also a McDonald’s All-American and is the only player in school history to have had her jersey retired. Although coaching is what’s in her immediate future, it’s not something that she ever envisioned herself doing.

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“No, not at all. I just kind of fell into it. I had a passion for it and opportunities came about,” Quinn told High Post Hoops. “I’m just blessed to have people who see something in me to want to give me positions like this.”

Quinn has had initial success as a head coach at Bishop Montgomery. In her first season, the Lady Knights won a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section championship. This season, they were one game away from the championship round before falling short.

While the level of play is much different, Quinn’s high school coaching experience is something she believes will help her at the next level. She also will use her role as a player-coach these past few seasons with the Storm.

“Coaching high school basketball helped me in general to kind of break out of my shell and use my voice more,” Quinn said. “On the pro level, it’s a little different. I’ve been kind of coaching while I play on the court, that’s just how I play. On the pro level, you don’t have to teach us much I think. You just make sure players know their scouting. It’s all just basketball, just a difference of age.”

It’s been quite a journey for Quinn since she was selected by the Minnesota Lynx with the fourth overall pick in the 2007 draft. Her career included stints with the Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm, as well as a few overseas stops.

She’s been a combo guard for most of her career, with career averages of 4.8 points per game, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Professional basketball careers don’t always last that long, but Quinn was able to carve out 12 years in the WNBA, including going out as a champion.

WASHINGTON D.C – SEPTEMBER 12: Noelle Quinn #45 of the Seattle Storm poses with the 2018 WNBA Championship trophy after defeating the Washington Mystics in Game Three of the 2018 WNBA Finals on September 12, 2018 at George Mason University in Washington D.C. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON D.C – SEPTEMBER 12: Noelle Quinn #45 of the Seattle Storm poses with the 2018 WNBA Championship trophy after defeating the Washington Mystics in Game Three of the 2018 WNBA Finals on September 12, 2018 at George Mason University in Washington D.C. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

“It was great. When I have time later in life to think back on it, I went overseas and saw some places I probably would never have seen if I did not play basketball,” Quinn said. “Just being in the best league in the world, being able to play in front of my family and friends, and to cap off my career with a championship, it’s a dream come true.”

Quinn never expected to play that long in the league. During her time as a player, she managed to eclipse both the 1,000 point mark as well as the 1,000 rebound mark. But the one thing that eluded her all these years was a championship.

While she finally got that ring, even if it had never happened, she still believes she would have had a worthwhile career.

“To play 12 years, I never thought I’d play that long in the league. It’s just a testament to my work ethic and people around me who pushed me to be great,” Quinn said. “Coaches and teams who believed in me, all around I’ve had an excellent experience as a professional. I’ve had some great teammates, I loved every minute of it, good and bad.”

Winning a championship was definitely a career highlight for Quinn, but probably the biggest one of her playing days was getting to come home to Los Angeles. She grew up here, played both her high school and college (UCLA) basketball here and returns during the fall to play in the Women’s Drew League, a local pro-am league for women’s basketball.

It was during her time with the Sparks that she had the best individual seasons of her career. During the 2010 season, she averaged a career-best 10.2 points per game while shooting 40.2 percent from the three-point line. But what really made her Sparks days special, was being able to play for the team she idolized as a child.

“I think being able to play in LA was a big deal for me just because I grew up watching the Sparks play,” Quinn said. “To be in Staples on the same floor that I watched Mwadi [Mabika] and DeLisha [Milton] and Lisa [Leslie] and Nikki Teasley hit big shots, I saw that as a young girl. To be on the Sparks, that was huge. I loved Seattle too, to cap it off with a championship, that’s the ultimate thing.”

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