Shortly after the star-studded and injury-ridden New York Liberty flamed out in the first round of the playoffs, the organization elected not to renew Sandy Brondello’s contract. Letting go of Brondello, who just led the Liberty to a title in 2024, was a bold move, especially after Breanna Stewart made her feelings about a coaching change clear in a postgame press conference.
Brondello and the Liberty both have big decisions to make this offseason. The former shouldn’t be without a coaching job for long, especially if the Seattle Storm are looking for another proven WNBA head coach after parting ways with Noelle Quinn. The Liberty, meanwhile, will have to figure out what they are looking for in a new head coach.
With most of their roster headed for unrestricted free agency this offseason, the Liberty have to nail their next coaching hire. Otherwise, they may risk losing some of their best players and a rare window to compete for a championship. One qualified candidate may already be hiding in plain sight: Liberty assistant coach Sonia Raman.
Sonia Raman has plenty of coaching experience
Sonia Raman may not have played in the WNBA, but she made Tufts University’s team as a walk-on in 1992 and played for four years. After, she went to law school, but eventually pivoted to coaching.
She returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach for two years. Then, she was an assistant at Wellesley from 2002 to 2008. Following her second stint as an assistant, Raman finally got her shot at a head coaching position. She spent twelve years as the head coach for MIT’s women’s basketball team before she made the jump to the NBA as an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies. In 2025, she made her way to the WNBA, joining Sandy Brondello’s coaching staff.
While Raman’s only head coaching experience came at the Division III level, she has spent decades on the sidelines and should be ready to take the next step in the WNBA coaching ranks. She also spent a season with the stars the Liberty are hoping to re-sign this offseason.
The Liberty also have options outside the WNBA
There are plenty of interesting options for teams looking for a new head coach in the pool of WNBA assistant coaches. However, the Liberty may also look outside the WNBA for someone to try to keep their championship aspirations alive.
Duke’s Kara Lawson and USC’s Lindsay Gottlieb are interesting candidates from the NCAA. Lawson was just named the new head coach of the national team and has been a head coach since 2020. Gottlieb has been coaching since 1999, including a stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers before becoming the head coach at USC.
The NBA’s pool of assistant coaches should also yield some great candidates. Kristi Toliver, Jenny Boucek, and Lindsay Harding are all currently on NBA coaching staffs, but could make the jump to a WNBA head coaching job with any of the four teams currently looking for a coach.