UCLA women's basketball hires former WNBA coach Noelle Quinn

LOS ANGELES – UCLA women's basketball welcomed Noelle Quinn to the coaching staff of the defending NCAA champions on Wednesday in a move to round out the Bruins coaching staff after the departures of Tasha Brown, who joined the Washington Huskies coaching staff, and Michaela Onyenwere, who returned to the WNBA as a member of the Washington Mystics. 

Quinn was a Bruin herself from 2003-07, where she earned honorable mention All-American honors, All-Pac 10 honors and won a conference record eight Pac-10 Player of the Week honors and was inducted into the UCLA Hall of Fame in 2020.

"Having that pedigree is priceless," head coach Cori Close said. "On top of that, she's just such a quality human being that I know is going to impact that players' lives, let alone their game. So, I feel like we hit the jackpot."

Quinn had an 11-year playing career in the WNBA for five teams, winning a WNBA championship with the Seattle Storm in 2018, before entering the coaching world from 2018-2025, winning a championship as an assistant coach for the Storm in 2020 and eventually taking the helm of the team herself from 2021-25. 

Now, Quinn is taking her expertise to her alma mater, where she looks to build on a system that dominated the NCAA last season.

Coming Home

"Playing at UCLA was some of the best years of my life. Just learning and growing; becoming a young woman and becoming a professional basketball player. There are a lot of things that I love about being here, so it's a full circle moment to be able to come back and being an alum and watching Cori [Close] do amazing things for this program. [It's] just exciting to be a part of it," Quinn said. 

When Close was looking at candidates for her new coaching staff, her emphasis was not just on resumes or accomplishments, but on character, the same approach that she has when recruiting players. 

Quinn fit the bill with both her character and her basketball acumen. Close's biggest draw to Quinn was her ability to promote skill development and draw up plans on the defensive end, something that will be an emphasis for Quinn.

The process of Close recruiting Quinn came about organically as the two had gradual conversations over the phone, which then culminated in Quinn sitting in on a summer practice session then finally when the Bruins travelled to play the Canadian national team, of which Quinn was an assistant coach for, Close got to see her future assistant coach in action and from there, it became a "no-brainer."

Fitting Into A System

While Quinn has a lot to offer that she's learned from her time running a WNBA squad, there's also a level of balance that comes with entering a program that has proven it's success so recently and integrating her own suggestions while trying not to fix what wasn't broken. 

Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Seattle Storm head coach Noelle Quinn looks on against the Las Vegas Aces in the second quarter during game one of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Michelob Ultra Arena.

On that front, Quinn plans on taking an active listening approach, integrating herself into the program and learning how it operates so that she can better serve it. 

"It's being a student all over again," Quinn said. "Today, Coach [Close] was like, 'Don't don't be shy. Speak up.' I really am taking it all in first… I want to be intentional with the ideas that I have and look at our team and and really pinpoint what these players can actually do…  It's not just giving a whole bunch of ideas and see what sticks. It's about really studying and I think that's what it is for me right now."