Rutgers women’s basketball coach on vision

PISCATAWAY – The latest period for the Rutgers girls’s basketball program has formally begun.  

Coquese Washington, simply the third full-time head coach within the group’s historical past, was launched Tuesday at a information convention at Jersey Mike’s Area as she replaces Corridor of Famer C. Vivian Stringer, a monumental activity nevertheless it’s not one which Washington is essentially nervous about.

That’s as a result of for Washington, there’s no changing somebody of Stringer’s stature.

“You may’t change a legend,” Washington mentioned. “It’s not simply potential. So I’m not attempting to interchange anyone. I’ve been impressed by Coach Stringer over my profession. I’ve been enthused by who she is and the legacy that she’s left. So I’m not attempting to interchange her.”

As a substitute, Washington now has the prospect to construct on what Stringer completed with the Scarlet Knights. 

Rutgers hasn’t been on the heights that it reached greater than a decade in the past, when the Scarlet Knights have been NCAA Event mainstays beneath Stringer, an elite girls’s basketball program that produced a bevy of professionals.

However Washington believes the enchantment remains to be as excessive because it’s ever been.

“Whenever you have a look at what these gamers have performed by way of what number of gamers have been drafted, what number of gamers have been All-American, honorable point out All-American,” Washington mentioned. “That is nonetheless a program that pulls a number of the finest gamers within the nation.”

The 51-year-old Washington, who signed a six-year contract price a assured $4.625 million with extra incentives, has ample teaching expertise.

She spent the final two seasons because the affiliate head coach at Notre Dame, her alma mater. Three of her Preventing Irish gamers, together with former Manasquan star Dara Mabrey and Blair Academy product Olivia Miles, have been in attendance.

However Washington’s first head teaching expertise got here at Penn State, the place she spent 12 seasons main the Nittany Lions from 2007-19. She earned Huge Ten Coach of the Yr honors three separate seasons.

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Washington guided Penn State to 3 Huge Ten titles and 4 NCAA Event appearances, together with a pair of journeys to the Candy 16. General Washington went 209-169 on the helm of the Nittany Lions.

Athletic director Pat Hobbs mentioned Washington, who performed six seasons within the WNBA throughout her enjoying days and was the founding president of the WNBA Gamers Affiliation, instantly stood out within the search course of.

“Whenever you have a look at Coquese Washington’s document, and there’s not lots of people you possibly can say this about, she’s actually performed all of it,” Hobbs mentioned. “Within the sport of girls’s basketball, Coach Washington has performed all of it.

When Hobbs had an opportunity to speak to Washington, he made positive this was a job she needed – and deliberate to remain in for some time.

“My first standards is all the time, ‘Do you wish to be at Rutgers? Is the Rutgers job a pretty job to you?’” Hobbs mentioned. “She couldn’t have been extra clear about that. She sees this as a college that has an important educational establishment, a college that’s invested within the assets so now they are often profitable.”

Now Washington has her latest problem – and it’s a substantial one.

She should succeed Stringer, who retired final month after 5 many years of teaching and greater than 1,000 victories. Stringer led Rutgers to ranges to this system hadn’t seen earlier than after taking on in 1995, together with 17 NCAA Event appearances, two Last Fours and a visit to the championship recreation in 2007.

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However the ultimate years of Stringer’s tenure have been turbulent.

Stringer didn’t coach final season whereas away from the group on a depart of absence. The Scarlet Knights went 11-20, together with a 3-14 mark within the Huge Ten, beneath performing head coach Tim Eatman.

Rutgers has loads of roster turnover, one thing Washington will now have to stabilize. She mentioned placing collectively a training employees and finalizing a roster are amongst her quick priorities.

The Scarlet Knights in recent times beneath Stringer didn’t recruit New Jersey gamers too closely, however Washington is a lot conversant in the realm having recruited the area in earlier stops.

“There’s a variety of expertise on this space, a variety of nice membership coaches, a variety of nice highschool coaches so actually one of many issues for our program shall be constructing these relationships,” Washington mentioned. “If we will hold one of the best expertise in state, that’s completely what we wish to do.”

However she additionally mentioned that Rutgers has the power to recruit nationally, and he or she plans to try this as properly.

It’s been almost 30 years since Stringer hasn’t been on the helm of the Scarlet Knights. Tuesday’s information convention represented a brand new starting for this system.

However changing Stringer isn’t one thing Washington is trying to do.

“The truth is we’re two totally different individuals,” Washington mentioned, “we got here from two totally different eras.”

Chris Iseman is the Rutgers soccer beat author for the USA TODAY Community-New Jersey. For limitless entry to all Rutgers evaluation, information and extra, please subscribe right this moment and obtain our app. 

E mail: iseman@northjersey.com Twitter: @chrisiseman