New Las Vegas Aces assistant coach Nola Henry knew exactly what joke to make once she was added to the three-time WNBA championship winning staff’s group chat.

“I’m most excited to join the Aces’ staple and get my blazer hoodie combo,” Henry wrote to her new coworkers, referencing head coach Becky Hammon’s trademark style choice.

Henry’s hiring was officially announced late Wednesday night. Even though she’s already been in Las Vegas for a little over a week, she’s still on the hunt for the right “blazoodie.”

“I’m excited to find one and be a part of something special,” Henry said Thursday.

Henry, 31, joins the Aces after working as an assistant coach for the Dallas Wings in 2025. Before that, she made stops with the Los Angeles Sparks (player development coach, then assistant coach in 2024) and Connecticut Sun (intern in 2020 and assistant basketball operations manager until 2022).

She was also a head coach for the Unrivaled offseason women’s basketball league, leading Rose BC over the last two seasons. Aces guard Chelsea Gray led Rose BC to the 3-on-3 championship title in 2025 and won the 1-on-1 crown this past season.

Here’s what Henry said during her first interview as an Aces assistant. It has been edited for length and clarity.

RJ: How did the opportunity to join the Aces arise?

Henry: I’ve always seen (Hammon) on the road as we played against each other for the last several years and I’ve always admired her from a distance. And I remember very vividly last year after winning Unrivaled, she came up to me after a game (a preseason Aces win over the Wings on May 2) and congratulated me. And I just remember being super excited. Obviously I knew she watched Unrivaled because of Chelsea Gray, but it was still just such an almost surreal moment, to be acknowledged by somebody I used to watch play as well as somebody that I admire from a coaching standpoint.

So from there, once I found that I wasn’t going back to Dallas, I kind of just put some feelers out to find where all the open opportunities would be. Hammon and (Aces president Nikki Fargas) came down to Miami to watch Jackie (Young) and Chelsea (Gray), so I got an opportunity to meet with them for a super informal conversation, and the interview process took form from there. It was just a matter of if I had the opportunity, I knew it was something that I wouldn’t pass on.

Q: What was it like coaching Chelsea Gray in Miami and how will that translate to the WNBA season?

Henry: She’s an amazing person, an amazing player. Someone who I have a high level of respect for. I anticipate it will be more of the same; just two people that love basketball, love winning, love talking about basketball. We love thinking about the game, just kind of bouncing ideas off of each other. Obviously, I’ll be in a little bit of a different role but this is kind of the role that I enjoy the most. I like to kind of be behind the scenes, grinding, and so I’ll have an opportunity to do more of that. I’m excited to get to know and work with all of the players. Chelsea, I’ve worked with before, but I’m excited to get to know A’ja (Wilson), Jackie Young, all of them.

RJ: What stood out to you about the interview process with the Aces?

Henry: I was interviewing with multiple teams and Vegas was just so diligent in the process, making sure every “i” was dotted and every “t” was crossed. And it was extremely thorough, which I respected a lot, because it was clear they were really sifting through people to try to figure out who best fits what they’re looking for. Now I completely understand why it’s a championship organization. Because of how thorough it is.

Q: What don’t people understand about what it takes to get an opportunity like this?

Henry: There’s no skipping steps. I started as an intern in Connecticut, so it was a very humble beginning, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I think my work ethic will show for itself, and I’ve really taken pride in just being an extremely hard worker. takes hours of film and studying the game. But then also, how can I serve the players? That’s what it’s ultimately about. A lot of it is also just being authentically myself and not changing. Players can attest to this. I still talk to Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner and Natisha Hiedeman. Those are some players that I started with when I was in Connecticut, and they’re like, “Wow, you’ve really never changed.” The role has changed, but I still always stay true to who I am.

RJ: Is there an easy way to describe what your role will be with the Aces?

Henry: Not necessarily. I think any coaching staff is usually all hands on deck. I’m sure I’ll have a hand in a variety of different things, whether that’s on the court with players as well as other assistant coaches and the player development coach, as well as some scouting stuff, just all of the things. Being an assistant coach, there’s a lot of roles and responsibilities. I’ve just got to be ready wherever I’m needed. That’s kind of been my approach. There’s no task too big, no task too small.

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Callie__Fin on X.