5 things to know as Penn State’s new women’s basketball coach steps into role

Tanisha Wright, a former Penn State player from 2001-2005, was introduced Monday as the program’s new women’s basketball coach. Wright brings WNBA head coaching experience and a deep connection to the program she hopes to rebuild.

FULL STORY: Why Tanisha Wright can return Penn State women’s basketball to its glory days

Here are key takeaways:

• Wright made the NCAA tournament every year she played at Penn State, reaching the Sweet Sixteen three times and the Elite Eight once. The program hasn’t made the tournament since 2014.

• “She’s part of an era defined by excellence — Big Ten Championships, NCAA tournament runs, national recognition, and a reputation for toughness that became the identity of Lady Lion basketball,” AD Pat Kraft said at her introductory press conference.

• Wright spent three years as head coach of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream and served as an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces and, most recently, the Chicago Sky. Her only college coaching experience was as an assistant at Charlotte.

• Wright was a five-time WNBA all-defensive first teamer and a three-time Big Ten defensive player of the year. She promised defense will be a priority: “As long as I’m around, we’re gonna play some defense, I’ll tell you that much.”

• Wright acknowledged the program’s decline, telling reporters, “There’s no doubt about it, the program has gone down, in the last decade or so I would say.” She said the chance to rebuild was “at the forefront” of her decision to take the job.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.