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

Internships don’t usually 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 Now, simply 4 years later, at 29 years outdated, the previous school hooper could have gotten her massive break: she’ll be certainly one of six Unequalled head coaches, the place she’ll work with Chelsea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 trying ahead to the technique and the scheming, however I’m additionally trying ahead to simply 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 Unequalled

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 School 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 underneath then-head coach Curt Miller and aiding the participant growth, video coordinators, and staff operations.

When Miller departed Connecticut to change into the top coach of the Los Angeles Sparks in 2022, Henry went with him. There, she grew to become certainly one of Miller’s lead assistants.

“I’ve had fairly humble beginnings,” Henry stated. “I began as an intern in Connecticut, however Curt has completed 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. Exterior of these experiences, this will likely be Henry’s first time within the head coach seat.

A part of the Unequalled’s head coach tasks included dividing the league’s 34 gamers into six groups. All six coaches did so collaboratively, earlier than understanding which staff they’d finally land. For Henry, this expertise felt like getting 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 in relation to drafting,” Henry stated. “I’ve labored on the draft for each Connecticut Solar and LA Sparks over the past 4 years, and I might say Unequalled did an incredible job of creating it tremendous excessive degree from a standpoint of logistics, in addition to dialog.”

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

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

At 29 years outdated, Henry is the second-youngest coach within the Unequalled subject and certainly one of two ladies (Teresa Weatherspoon being the opposite).

“It’s an honor to be certainly one of 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 loads,” Henry stated. “I’ll be taught loads. I’ll problem myself, and I’ll maintain myself accountable.”

This text is a part of a sequence that includes the six Unequalled head coaches. You can even examine Andrew Wade, a former sports activities blogger and school hooper turned participant growth specialist, DJ Sackmann, a famend basketball expertise coach making a profession pivot into this subject, and Adam Harrington, a longtime NBA assistant and the longtime coach of Kevin Durant.