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International Women's Day gives Grizzlies chance to celebrate assistant coach Sonia Raman
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- International Women's Day gives Grizzlies chance to celebrate assistant coach Sonia Raman
Five women currently have jobs as assistant coaches in the NBA, and one of them happens to be on the Memphis Grizzlies .
Sonia Raman seamlessly blends in with the rest of the coaching staff. She sits in the second row of the bench with other assistants, behind the players and Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins.
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Through scout, player development, film work and analytics, Raman's impact has been felt since she joined the organization in 2020.
Raman spent 12 seasons as the women's basketball coach at MIT before joining the Grizzlies. She is MIT's all-time winningest coach , with 152 victories. Her final two seasons were her best, when she led the Engineers to their first appearances in the Division III NCAA Tournament in 2018 and 2019.
Before the Grizzlies played the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night at FedExForum, Jenkins made sure to spotlight Raman on International Women's Day.
Sonia Raman spent 12 seasons as women's basketball coach at Massachusetts Institute of Technology before being hired by the Memphis Grizzlies this fall. She left as the all-time winningest coach in program history
"Shoutout to all the ladies out there," he said. "In the world, but especially in the world of basketball . . . Sonia has made a huge impression on this group. I love her work ethic. I love her care factor for our guys."
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"Her voice has continued to grow so much with confidence in the relationships with our players and our staff," Jenkins added. "She's got this unbelievable personality, we connected with basketball, but knowing our histories as families and growing up and world travels, it's been fun to develop a relationship with her outside of the lines."
Before each game, Jake LaRavia sits on the bench and watches film with Raman before his final workout. Santi Aldama and John Konchar often finish practices shooting free throws and bantering with Raman.
Both players can attest to her impact since she left MIT. When Grizzlies assistant coach Niele Ivey left to become the women's basketball coach at Notre Dame, Raman was hired, becoming the 14th woman to coach in the NBA.
"For her, it's seeing the little stuff," Aldama told The Commercial Appeal. "I remember last year she was big on the better passes for better percentage shots. It was just a matter of finding how we could make better percentage passes that lead to better percentage shots."
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Vince Williams Jr. is one of the current examples of player development on the roster. The former 2022 second-round pick spent most of his first season in the G League with the Memphis Hustle. He started this season on a two-way contract before injuries on the Grizzlies led him to taking on a bigger role.
Williams entered Friday averaging 9.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. A higher usage also has led the 6-foot-5 wing to recording five or more assists in 13 of the past 14 games.
"We did a lot of work," Williams told The Commercial Appeal. "She helped me with my three ball. Just little things. She's a great all-around person."
Around the NBA, the conversation on the first potential female head coach is growing. Former San Antonio Spurs assistant Becky Hammon, now the coach of the two-time WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces, has received interest from NBA teams. Dawn Staley, coach of two-time NCAA champion South Carolina, has had to shoot down rumors about her eventually making the jump to the NBA.
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An organization like the Grizzlies may be one that helps catapult a woman into that opportunity. Jenkins has had a female assistant on his staff all five years in Memphis, and he believes their qualifications go far beyond gender.
"I think there's definitely been progress, but you should never say it's enough progress," Jenkins said. "There should always be more progress, especially with the equality initiatives that the coaches' association is fighting for. Hiring practices, interviewing practices, hope there's more women on the sidelines.
"It's always about finding the best people, but there's so many women out there that give so much to this game, that can give so much more to this game, and I hope there's more progress to be made."
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies discuss impact of assistant coach Sonia Raman
