The Grizzlies have added a new assistant coach to Taylor Jenkins‘ staff, announcing today in a press release that they’ve hired Sonia Raman, MIT’s longtime women’s basketball head coach.
“We are beyond excited to welcome Sonia to the Memphis Grizzlies,” Jenkins said in a statement. “She has a high basketball IQ and a tremendous ability to teach the game, as well as a strong passion for the game. She is going to be a great addition to our current coaching staff.”
Raman, who spent 12 years running the woman’s basketball program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, led the team to its first-ever NEWMAC championships in 2018 and 2019, as well as a pair of NCAA tournament berths. She’ll take the spot on the Grizzlies staff vacated by Niele Ivey, who left this spring to become the new women’s basketball head coach at Notre Dame.
According to former Grizzlies executive John Hollinger, sources told The Athletic that Raman “blew away” the Grizzlies during the interview process with her “Xs and O’s knowledge and personal skills.” She joins a group of assistants that also includes Brad Jones, Neven Spahija, Vitaly Potapenko, David McClure, and Scoonie Penn.