Nikki McCray-Penson finds new home at Rutgers as assistant coach for Coquese Washington

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After taking a season off from coaching, former Mississippi State coach Nikki McCray-Penson is joining the Rutgers women's basketball staff.

McCray-Penson was announced Tuesday as an assistant for new coach Coquese Washington. Washington replaced C. Vivian Stringer, who retired. McCray-Penson and Washington are former teammates, having spent the 2002 and 2003 WNBA seasons with the Indiana Fever.

"Simply put, Nikki is a winner," Washington said in a school release. "She has excelled at the highest levels of our game. Her experience as a college All-American, a WNBA All-Star, an Olympic gold medalist, and her national championship-caliber coaching pedigree provides us with tremendous knowledge and wisdom. She is an incredible competitor, and our players will learn a ton from her as they feel her dedication to excellence on a daily basis."

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New Mississippi State women's basketball coach Nikki McCray-Penson spoke of the importance of relationships and championships during her introductory press conference Tuesday.
New Mississippi State women's basketball coach Nikki McCray-Penson spoke of the importance of relationships and championships during her introductory press conference Tuesday.

McCray-Penson has 15 years of coaching experience, most recently at Mississippi State and Old Dominion, where she was a 2020 WBCA National Coach of the Year finalist. Her tenure at Mississippi State lasted one season and she stepped down before the 2021-22 season to focus on her health.

McCray-Penson was also on South Carolina coach Dawn Staley's staff during the 2017 national championship season. In her last four seasons with the Gamecocks, they won four-straight SEC regular-season championships and three SEC Tournament titles.

"I am excited to join Coquese at Rutgers," McCray-Penson said. "As former teammates, I know her well, and we are determined to build off the incredible legacy of C. Vivian Stringer at this great academic institution. I look forward to bringing my personal assets and energy to the program and get in the foxhole with Coquese. I am ready to get to work."

McCray-Penson's playing career landed her in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

She was a high school star in Memphis at Collierville. She was named an All-American by Parade Magazine during her senior season (1989-90).

At Tennessee (1991-95) she led the Lady Vols to three SEC regular-season championships, two SEC Tournament titles and a 1995 Final Four appearance. She was a two-time All-American and won SEC Player of the Year honors her junior and senior season.

Spending nine years in the WNBA, McCray-Penson was a three-time WNBA All-Star and tallied 2,550 career points while averaging 14.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. She also played two seasons in the ABL before the WNBA was formed, where she won league MVP and an ABL championship with the Columbus Quest.

She was a part of the historic gold medal-winning 1996 Olympic team, which led to the creation of the WNBA. McCray-Penson was recently featured on the ESPN 30 for 30 which documented the team. McCray-Penson returned to Team USA in 2000 and added another Olympic gold medal to her resume.

Cora Hall: Covering UT women's athletics
Twitter | cora.hall@knoxnews.com
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Nikki McCray-Penson joins Coquese Washington on Rutgers staff