Coquese Washington was named head coach of the Penn State women's basketball team yesterday, becoming the first black woman head coach of a varsity sport in school history.
At a press conference yesterday, Director of Athletics Tim Curley announced the hiring of Washington, an eight-year assistant at Notre Dame. She will succeed Rene Portland, who resigned last month, as the fifth Lady Lion head coach.
"I am so, so very excited and ecstatic to be part of the Penn State family," said Washington, 36, a Flint, Mich., native. "I grew up in Big Ten country, and it was always my dream to become a head coach in the Big Ten, and my dream has come true today."
Curley said the process of hiring Washington moved quickly after he acquired permission from Notre Dame to talk to her. Despite asking for five years of head coaching experience in an online job posting, Curley said he felt Washington's full résumé was incredibly impressive.
"I just think this is a great fit and that she has the complete package of credentials," Curley said in an interview after the press conference. "I think she's just a rising star, and all her recommendations and indications we've gotten from checking around is that she's the real deal ... I think we're just gonna have a lot of happy days here in Happy Valley."
Washington said the Lady Lion job opening was the only position she was actively pursuing because her coaching philosophy, which focuses on player development, teaching and providing the best college experience possible for her players, will mesh well with the program she is inheriting.
"Anytime you have a change, there's going to be an adjustment period," Washington said. "We're just going to do what we do and move forward. We're eager to move forward. We're eager to embrace the tradition that's been part of this university, and we're looking forward to great things in the future."
Washington played for Fighting Irish head coach Muffet McGraw from 1989 until 1993, then spent three seasons in the now-defunct American Basketball League before moving on to the WNBA's New York Liberty in 1998. She spent six seasons in the
league, the final four concurrent with her tenure as assistant at Notre Dame. Washington earned a law degree from Notre Dame in 1997 and later became the first president of the Women's National Basketball Player's Association.
As a coach, Washington proved a vital piece of Notre Dame's 2001 national championship team. Since her promotion to associate head coach in 2005, she has spearheaded Irish recruiting efforts, which have produced some of the top classes in the country.
Rising senior guard Kam Gissendanner, team captain and a member of the eight-member search committee for the new coach, said she has been familiar with Washington for a long time.
"I grew up watching the WNBA, and she was one the of players that I grew up watching. I saw her with the Houston Comets winning the championship," Gissendanner said. "She comes off as such an educated and well-spoken person, and her personality embodies everything we wanted in a coach. We're just going to embrace her and love her, and I'm sure she'll do the same for us."
Though never directly connected to Portland -- who resigned on March 22 after 27 seasons at the helm -- Washington isn't far removed from the former Lady Lion coach. McGraw played for Portland at St. Joseph's University in the 1970s, and current Notre Dame assistant Angie Potthoff was an All-American honoree at Penn State from 1995 to 1997.
Washington said there was no decision made on assistant coaches yet, but a decision whether or not to retain Portland's staff, bring in new coaches or a combination of both will be made in the coming few days.
Despite Portland's success and influence still looming over the program, Washington said she is convinced she can build her own identity at Penn State.
"The only thing I can do is be me," Washington said. "It's just a matter of me getting out into the community, me doing the things that I need to do to become familiar with everyone. I will just be me, and hopefully that will be enough to keep the support that we've had over the years, keep it going and growing."
