Inside Nola Henry’s journey from Connecticut Solar intern to Unmatched head coach

Internships don’t sometimes flip into head coach positions.

However, Nola Henry — an intern for the Connecticut Solar in 2020 — labored tirelessly to make it occur. Now, simply 4 years later, at 29 years outdated, the previous faculty hooper might have gotten her large break: she’ll be one in all six Unmatched head coaches, the place she’ll work with Chelsea Grey, Kahleah Copper, Angel Reese, Brittney Sykes, Lexie Hull, and Azura Stevens on the Rose Membership.

“I’m tremendous excited and grateful for the chance to teach so many of those superb gamers,” Henry informed reporters in her introductory media availability. “I’m wanting ahead to the technique and the scheming, however I’m additionally wanting ahead to only constructing relationships with the gamers and attending to know them, and being challenged to execute X’s and O’s and simply get began there.”

Nola Henry’s lengthy journey to Unmatched

Henry is a hooper in her personal proper; the 5’7 guard performed basketball at UMass Amherst, after which concluded her taking part in profession on the Faculty of Charleston. In 2018, she joined the teaching workers at Farleigh Dickinson College as a graduate assistant.

However the majority of Henry’s teaching expertise comes from her tenure with the Connecticut Solar. She spent practically 5 years in Uncasville, working below then-head coach Curt Miller and helping the participant improvement, video coordinators, and staff operations.

When Miller departed Connecticut to turn out to be the pinnacle coach of the Los Angeles Sparks in 2022, Henry went with him. There, she grew to become one in all Miller’s lead assistants.

“I’ve had fairly humble beginnings,” Henry stated. “I began as an intern in Connecticut, however Curt has accomplished an amazing job being extraordinarily collaborative. So, I had alternatives to be within the room and be part of high-level conversations, whether or not from a training standpoint, high-level video games, or whether or not we have been within the WNBA Finals in 2021. All of these experiences have ready me for this chance.”

Photograph by Ethan Miller/Getty Photographs

In Los Angeles, Henry continued to earn Miller’s belief, even stepping in because the interim head coach for 2 video games. Outdoors of these experiences, this will likely be Henry’s first time within the head coach seat.

A part of the Unmatched’s head coach tasks included dividing the league’s 34 gamers into six groups. All six coaches did so collaboratively, earlier than figuring out which staff they’d in the end land. For Henry, this expertise felt like making ready for the WNBA draft.

Rose Membership Gamers: Chelsea Grey (Las Vegas Aces), Kahleah Copper (Phoenix Mercury), Angel Reese (Chicago Sky), Brittney Sykes (Washington Mystics), Lexie Hull (Indiana Fever), Azura Stevens (Los Angeles Sparks)

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Curt for the previous 4 years, and he’s very collaborative on the subject of drafting,” Henry stated. “I’ve labored on the draft for each Connecticut Solar and LA Sparks during the last 4 years, and I’d say Unmatched did a tremendous job of creating it tremendous excessive stage from a standpoint of logistics, in addition to dialog.”

Miller was fired by the Sparks in September and accepted a place as normal supervisor of the Dallas Wings quickly after.

Henry doesn’t but know what the longer term holds for her within the WNBA given this personnel change: “Because it will get nearer to the WNBA season, I’ll form of gear my thoughts in direction of the place I land there, however simply making an attempt to be current and making an attempt to embrace the chance that’s proper in entrance of me, earlier than wanting too far forward.”

At 29 years outdated, Henry is the second-youngest coach within the Unmatched subject and one in all two ladies (Teresa Weatherspoon being the opposite).

“It’s an honor to be one in all two black ladies on the workers, and with this being an inaugural season, we’ll see extra of that,” she stated. “I’m simply grateful that I get to be one of many first and it’s not a chance I take evenly.”

Henry is able to roll up her sleeves and get to work.

“I’m certain I’ll develop rather a lot,” Henry stated. “I’ll study rather a lot. I’ll problem myself, and I’ll maintain myself accountable.”

This text is a part of a collection that includes the six Unmatched head coaches. You may as well examine Andrew Wade, a former sports activities blogger and faculty hooper turned participant improvement specialist, DJ Sackmann, a famend basketball abilities coach making a profession pivot into this subject, and Adam Harrington, a longtime NBA assistant and the longtime coach of Kevin Durant.