Rutgers hires Coquese Washington as women’s basketball coach: report

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Rutgers is predicted to title Notre Dame associate head mentor Coquese Washington as its head women’s basketball mentor to switch legend C. Vivian Stringer, who retired past thirty day period, individuals with expertise of the hiring instructed NJ Advance Media on Monday.

With a women’s basketball legacy and amenities that — when sweetened with a big pay back check out — may have attracted a larger-profile mentor. Among the the coaches qualified by the Scarlet Knights have been Princeton’s Carla Berube, Michigan’s Kim Barnes-Arico and Rhode Island’s Tammi Reiss, a resource advised NJ Progress Media.

Rutgers athletic director Pat Hobbs as an alternative landed Washington, who experienced not appeared on the radar screen of doable candidates. The timing of Stringer’s retirement, which came just about two months immediately after the Scarlet Knights played their ultimate activity of the 2021-22 period, undoubtedly played a part.

Washington, 50, is predicted to be launched on Tuesday at a push convention at Jersey Mike’s Arena on the court that quickly will be named just after Stringer.

Washington’s encounter coaching in the Large 10 — she was Penn State’s head mentor from 2007-19 — probable manufactured her an desirable prospect. Her connection to Notre Dame as a participant and assistant coach, together with her WNBA expertise, should support, way too.

In her 12-12 months stint in Point out College main the Girl Lions, Washington compiled a 209-169 overall file, with a 98-111 mark in convention play.

Washington won meeting frequent-season titles in three consecutive seasons (2012-2014) and attained four consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 2011-2014. The Lady Lions received at the very least 1 game in every of those people postseason appearances, two times achieving the Sweet Sixteen. As she rebuilt the Penn Condition program, she was named the Big Ten Coach of the Calendar year for the 2011-12 period.

When she still left Penn State after the 2019 season, the departure was announced as a mutual final decision. Penn Point out had completed 11th or worse in the meeting in 4 of her last five seasons.

Washington expended the adhering to season as the associate head coach at Oklahoma. A calendar year later on, she was employed at the exact position at Notre Dame, her alma mater.

Underneath head mentor Niele Ivey, she invested the previous two seasons in South Bend. It was her next stint as an assistant coach at the plan in which she starred as a place guard from 1989-1993 she previously served under her former coach Muffet McGraw from 1999-2007. She attained a law diploma at Notre Dame around that span and served as the initial president of the WNBA Players Affiliation from 1999-2001.

Washington, who grew up in Flint, Mich., played five seasons in the WNBA with the New York Liberty, Houston Comets and Indiana Fever, winning a title with the Comets in 2000.

As the third comprehensive-time women’s basketball coach at Rutgers, Washington follows two legends.

Theresa Grentz, who became the country’s first whole-time head women’s basketball coach at Rutgers in 1976 and remained in the place by 1995, and Stringer are in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Each expended at minimum 19 seasons in Piscataway, every single earning more than 400 wins and constructing Rutgers into a single of the premier plans in the state.

The two had streaks of at minimum nine several years of reaching the NCAA Event. Stringer reached two Remaining Fours and a nationwide championship sport whilst successful a WNIT title.

Washington’s seek the services of arrives three months immediately after Stringer, 74, declared her retirement right after 26 seasons at Rutgers. She ended her job with 1,055 wins, 4 Closing Four appearances, and 28 berths in the NCAA Match in 50 seasons as a head mentor. She grew to become the fifth NCAA Division I women’s higher education basketball coach in background to get to 1,000 job wins in 2018.

Stringer had not been with the group given that April 2021, using a depart of absence shortly immediately after she signed a new 5-calendar year, $5.5 million agreement. Stringer accumulated at minimum $235,000 in bonuses on major of her $1 million annual income during her absence.

There was not substantially clarity on her problem through her go away, which was extended at the very least 3 periods, according to a report from Gannett.

Stringer did not respond to requests for comment and experienced not been created available by the college all over her hiatus. Rutgers officials in the beginning claimed she stepped absent from her coaching responsibilities to prevent getting ill and to care for her spouse and children, including her daughter, Janine, 40, who has essential unique treatment due to the fact contracting spinal meningitis at age 2.

They later on denied individuals claims to Gannett this March without the need of declaring detailing her absence.

“Out of respect for her privacy and pursuant to regulation, we simply cannot offer any increased specificity into her instances,” a Rutgers athletics spokesman explained to Gannett.

The Scarlet Knights struggled without her. Beneath interim mentor Tim Eatman, Rutgers went 11-20 this earlier period, including a 3-14 document in Major 10 participate in, to finish 13th in the meeting. The Scarlet Knights defeated Penn Point out in the opening spherical of the Big 10 Event ahead of slipping to Indiana in the second round.

Washington’s to start with task will be cleansing up the mess and putting alongside one another a roster.

Only three gamers on final season’s staff continue to be on the roster — sophomore ahead Chyna Cornwell, junior guard Awa Sidibe and sophomore guard Erica Lafayette.

The remainder of the roster fatigued its eligibility (four players) or entered the transfer portal (eight players), in accordance to WBB Blog. Of the eight, Tyia Singleton (Ole Pass up), Liz Martino (Jackson Condition), Sayawni Lassiter (Rhode Island) and Joiya Maddox (Florida Atlantic) have observed landing places.

The Scarlet Knights been given a determination from Hartford guard Abby Streeter out of the transfer portal, and signed higher faculty recruits Kaylene Smikle (Westtown High in Pennsylvania) and Antonia Bates (Rutgers Prep) in its 2022 course.

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Brian Fonseca may perhaps be arrived at at [email protected].

Patrick Lanni may perhaps be achieved at [email protected].



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