SEATTLE — Seattle Storm Head Coach Dan Hughes is retiring from the WNBA, the team announced Sunday.
The two-time WNBA Coach of the Year said after more than 40 years of coaching basketball, he wants to finish his career with the "focus and determination" he started with.
“The Seattle Storm is in amazing shape, after two championships and a terrific playoff run in 2019, I would like to announce my retirement from the WNBA," Hughes said in a prepared statement. "I believe now is the right time because the team is performing well, but the rigors of being a head coach in the WNBA have taken their toll on me. I look forward to coaching with USA Basketball at the 2021 Olympics then leveraging my experience to give back to the game in other ways. Mary and I value the relationships we have formed in Seattle over the past four years and want to thank everyone for their ongoing support.”
Hughes will be replaced by assistant coach Noelle Quinn. Quinn joined the Storm coaching staff in 2019 following her first championship as a player in 2018. She had been running the offense schemes for the Storm and handled the job of head coach on May 25 when the Storm beat the Connecticut Sun 90-87.
Quinn will be supported by coaches Gary Kloppenburg, Ryan Webb, and Perry Huang.
Hughes will remain assistant coach for USA Basketball for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. He ends his career with the second most games (598) coached in WNBA history. He is tied for the third-most wins with 286.
In his first year in Seattle, Hughes led the team to a 26-8 record, clinched the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs, and swept the Washington Mystics in the WNBA Finals to earn the third title in the franchise's history.
