Victoria Vivians just finished her sixth season in the WNBA; now she’s going by “coach.”

After signing with Seattle as a free agent on March 25, Vivians started the first 15 games of the season while adding much needed depth to the Storm’s backcourt.

Vivians appeared in 35 games, averaging 3.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 0.4 steals in 12.7 minutes per game. She scored a season-high 10 points with seven rebounds and three assists against Phoenix, on June 4, 2024. Vivians pulled down her 500th career rebound on June 9 against Minnesota and made her first playoff appearance against Las Vegas in Game 1of the first round.

This offseason, she’ll start her coaching career as an assistant coach and the director of scouting at her alma mater, Mississippi State University in Starkville, Miss.

The Mississippi native and 2017 Mississippi State Homecoming Queen played for the Bulldogs for four years, helping the team to three Sweet Sixteen appearances and two trips to the National Championship. She tallied 126 wins in her time and is second in program history in scoring.

“I always knew I wanted to coach, and I always knew I wanted to start back home,” Vivians said. “Me going to Mississippi State is a full-circle moment.”

It’s a big return home for Vivians, and a big addition to a coaching staff looking to gain more momentum in the SEC.

“I know the girls at Mississippi State are very excited for me to come,” Vivans said. “Everybody’s just so hype every time I get on the phone, it’s pretty amazing.”

Vivians also mentioned the importance of getting eyes back on the storied Starkville program. She’s hoping to win big while prioritizing the athlete’s personal brands alongside the team’s talent.

“Mississippi State is a D1 school, but we don’t get that much attention,” Vivans said. “We get enough, but not how it used to be when I was in school. I’m going to try to figure out how to get that going, highlight the girls more.”

Vivians has a big transition this offseason, instead of going overseas to focus on her game, she’s becoming a vital piece of Mississippi State’s coaching staff, it’s a role she’s already started to take on in the WNBA. Just one year into her time in Seattle, she’s an integral voice on the Storm, encouraging her teammates and taking a bit of a player/coach role.

“It’s natural, they call me Coach here. I basically do it while I’m here, it’s pretty natural to me just to speak to the players and keep them positive or tell them what needs to be fixed,” said Vivians. “If something’s not broken don’t fix it, I feel like I’m already there.”

She’s not one to brag, but she’s one of the smartest players on any roster she joins.

“The game of basketball comes easy to me, I can see a lot of things, a very high IQ for basketball,” Vivians said. “I want to see my team win and be great so I’m going to obviously help them in any way I can.”

This will be the first year since Vivians got drafted by the Indiana Fever in 2018 that she gets to spend the offseason near family, and even better, in her home state. She’s looking forward to prioritizing herself and her game, her family, and quality time in the months to come.

“Me just being at home and being grounded, I’m focusing a lot on me this offseason,” said Vivians. “I get to be home home for the holidays. I haven’t done that in a while.”

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Storm off the court: Victoria Vivians is back at her alma mater to coach