10/10/2023 basketball Edit

Coquese Washington talks second year, B1G Hoops and popularity of the game

Alec Crouthamel

Staff Writer

Rutgers women’s basketball head coach Coquese Washington, as well as sophomore guard Kaylene Smikle and senior forward Chyna Cornwell, went out to Minneapolis for the 2023 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Media Day. In Washington’s press conference, she previewed the outlook of her program, the Big Ten conference, and talked about the rise of popularity in women’s college basketball.

“Big Ten basketball is poised to have another fantastic year,” she said. “We can certainly capitalize on last year's Final Four and the excitement that really has generated and has been extended across the summer and the fall into our women's basketball season this year. Certainly, the Big Ten conference as a national conference should be part of the epicenter of what women's basketball fans are looking for this year, certainly our fans. Rutgers is really excited to be a part of this and looking forward to having a really great season.”

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The conference had a successful year, sending five teams to the NCAA tournament and one to the WNIT. Iowa, led by Caitlin Clark, made a run to the national championship, before falling in the title game to LSU. They knocked off defending champion South Carolina in the process, and other teams such as Ohio State and Maryland made it to the second weekend. With Clark and many others such as Mackenzie Holmes returning, the conference is set to be a national power again.

“When you look across the landscape of Big Ten women's basketball, there's so much talent,” she added. “There's so much outstanding coaching. That helps you prepare for postseason play. You have to be on your P's and Q's every night because you're going to face coaches who are great at making in-game adjustments, who are great at preparation, who have varying styles of play, so it helps make your program one that you have to elevate your ability to be successful in this conference.”

Washington also touched on the boom in women’s basketball’s popularity, sparked by the Final Four of Iowa, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, and LSU. She noted the excitement is much different this year than in years past.

“In New Brunswick, New Jersey, going to get a coffee one morning, and this guy that looks like a construction worker, he had a construction hat on and I had my Rutgers basketball shirt on, and he was like, you're with the women's program? I'm like, yeah,” she recalled. “He was like, how about that Caitlin Clark? Right? Just that kind of excitement surrounding Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese and women's basketball, women's college basketball was spoken about so much over the summer, and I think this carried over into what we're seeing in the WNBA. It's got to be one of the most talked-about WNBA championships in the history of [the] league.”

Even in her own household, Washington has seen fans of Clark and other elite talents, noting the impact that they can have on fans and programs alike.

“My daughter lives in my house and she's a Caitlin Clark fan,” she joked. “I have to tell her, you know, we're at Rutgers. But that's the kind of impact that a player like Caitlin Clark or a player like Naz Hillmon who was at Michigan a few years ago, those types of players who can engender conversation around our game.”

“I think it bodes well for the Big Ten, and it also makes other great players want to play in this conference so we can compete against her. Great players want to play against other great players. Caitlin Clark certainly is the leading name in our conference, but there are so many other transcendent players that are playing in the Big Ten, and it's going to be exciting this year for all of those players to get the recognition that they deserve.”

Talking about her own team, Washington looks forward to continuing to build up the program in her second year at the helm.

“I'm extremely happy about where the program is right now,” she said. “Our first year was really about building a foundation, building a culture, establishing how we're going to run our program, how we're going to recruit, how we're going to play on game day, and we were successful at that. I think we're definitely in a position now to continue to move the program forward and be more competitive on game day, and we're looking at where our team is with the additions that we've brought in. I'm excited about our ability to do that this year.”

Rutgers made five additions in the offseason, three from high school recruiting and two in the transfer portal. Mya Petticord from Texas A&M and Destiny Adams from North Carolina each project to be key contributors to the team. Freshmen Kennedy Brandt, Lisa Thompson, and Jillian Huerter add depth and potential production to a suddenly-deeper backcourt.

Washington and the Scarlet Knights unofficially open their season with an exhibition against South Carolina to honor the life of former assistant coach Nikki McCray-Penson, who passed away in July. The team will officially kick off their season at home on November 6th at Jersey Mike’s Arena when they face Monmouth.