Former Pennsylvania Women’s Basketball Coach to Change Stringer to Rutgers – NBC10 Philadelphia

On Monday, the school announced that former Pennsylvania women’s basketball coach Kokez Washington will replace Hall of Fame member K. Vivian Stringer as coach at Rutgers.

Washington, who has spent the last two seasons as an assistant at Notre Dame, has agreed to a six-year contract, the school said. This guarantees a total compensation of $ 4.625 million with additional incentives.

Stringer retired late last month at age 74, completing a career in which she has won more than 1,000 games in 50 seasons – the last 25 at Rutgers – and reached the Final four four times with three different teams: Cheney State, Iowa and Rutgers. Last season she didn’t train because concerns about COVID-19.

Assistant Tim Itman replaced Stringer last season. The Scarlet Knights got a total of 11-20 and 3-14 in the top ten.

Washington earned a score of 209-169 over 12 seasons at Penn State (2007-19) and was named Coach of the Year ten three times in a row from 2012-14, a period that included three of her four appearances at the NCAA Tournament with the Lady Lions.

“It is important that the next leader of our women’s basketball program is a man with a proven track record of victory, exemplary leadership and outstanding character,” said sporting director Pat Hobbes in a statement. “Kokez perfectly meets all these criteria. She is hardworking, enthusiastic and committed to building the championship program, and this commitment extends equally to the success of our off-field student athletes.”

Washington has twice worked at Notre Dame, having previously worked as an assistant at his alma mater from 1999 to 2007 under longtime coach Maffett McGraw. The Irish Fighting Irish won the first of two McGraw national titles in 2001.

Then Washington became the first black woman to head the Penn State program. After her third consecutive Big Ten title in 2014, the Lady Lions fell sharply and had only one record in a Big Ten game in the next five seasons. Washington was fired in 2019 and spent the following season as Oklahoma’s assistant head coach.

“I am thrilled to be able to be here at Rutgers, a university that is both academic and athletic,” Washington said. “It is a great honor to follow in the footsteps of Hall of Fame coaches Theresa Grenz and K. Vivian Stringer. They are an example of achieving a high level of excellence with grace, class, honesty and dignity. ”

The Irish wrestlers took this year’s Sweet 16th NCAA Tournament, and Washington assisted second-year coach Neil Ivy.

Washington played for Notre Dame and made an average of 2.7 interceptions per game, making it the best in the school’s history. She played six seasons in the WNBA, winning the championship with the Houston Comets in 2000.

Washington was also the founding president and executive vice president of the WNBA Players Association.

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More AP Women’s College of Basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https: / / twitter.com/AP_Top25