Amid a busy offseason for almost every sport on the Banks, the Rutgers women’s basketball team made some changes to its coaching staff over the past couple of weeks, as the team prepares for a pivotal season under second-year head coach Coquese Washington.
While there were additions made, there was also a loss. Former assistant coach Nikki McCray-Penson sadly passed away on July 7th, after a battle with pneumonia. Although she was only on the staff for one season, she made her presence felt all across the program. Several members of the team looked back on their fondest memories with McCray-Penson even if she was only with the Scarlet Knights for a short time.
Outside of Rutgers, tributes poured in from around the basketball world, as McCray-Penson made a name for herself as a player and coach. She starred for Tennessee under Pat Summitt, winning two SEC Player of the Year Awards before a professional career spanning 10 years, becoming a three-time WNBA All-Star, and winning an MVP in her lone season playing in the now-defunct American Basketball League.
After her playing career, she spent two years as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky before joining Dawn Staley’s staff at South Carolina for nine years. She eventually earned her first head coaching job at Old Dominion, winning the Conference USA Coach of the Year Award in her third and final season in 2020. She then took over as head coach at Mississippi State, going 10-9 in the COVID-shortened 2021 season. She stepped down following the season due to health concerns, taking a season off from coaching before joining Washington’s staff.
The 2012 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee was 51 years old at the time of her passing.
The Scarlet Knights have also made two additions to their coaching staff for this upcoming season. Washington quickly took advantage of a new NCAA rule allowing men’s and women’s basketball programs to bring two additional assistant coaches onto their staff, welcoming Jeanine Wasielewski and Nneka Enemkpali to the Banks.
Announced on July 5th, Wasielewski comes to Rutgers by way of Southwestern Michigan College, where she served as the program’s head coach. She brought the Roadrunners back to competition after a 25-year hiatus, finishing third in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association’s (MCCAA) Western division and making it to the NJCAA Great Lakes District A semifinal, with a team comprised of all freshmen.
Wasielewski, who will serve as an assistant coach and the program’s Director of Player Enhancement for the Scarlet Knights, has experience both in the Big Ten and working with Washington. She played at Northwestern and was a key contributor on the Wildcat squad that won the Big Ten in 1990. Later on, she was a part of Washington’s coaching staff at Penn State from 2017-2019, including helping sign a top-15 recruiting class for the Lady Lions. She brings a proven track record working with guards, holds strong academic standards, and overall has a very versatile skillset, even spending time in the corporate world holding executive positions at Molson Coors Brewing Company and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
“Jeanine truly has an incredible basketball mind,” Washington said. “Her background in analytics and statistical breakdown will be of tremendous benefit to our program. In addition, Jeanine is an experienced teacher of the game and has helped grow the basketball knowledge of players under her guidance at each of her coaching stops. There is no question, she will have a positive impact on Scarlet Knights women's basketball.”
Enemkpali, whose hiring was announced on July 18th, will serve as an assistant coach and the program’s Director of Recruiting. She also comes from a diverse coaching background, previously spending time at USC, UNLV, UC Santa Barbara, and Gonzaga. She also played for Texas, earning three All-Big 12 selections and finishing tenth in program history in rebounds. She was drafted by the Seattle Storm in the 2015 WNBA Draft but a knee injury sustained in her senior season at Texas cut her playing career short.
Enemkpali made her biggest impact for the Trojans on the recruiting trail, where she was able to bring several high-level talents to Los Angeles, including Judea Watkins, ESPN’s top-ranked recruit in the class of 2023. She also helped develop 2023 first-round WNBA Draft pick Kadi Sissoko and All-Pac 12 nominee Rayah Marshall.
Enemkpali excels in coaching post play and rebounding, evidenced by her work at UNLV and UC Santa Barbara. In her lone season in Las Vegas, she helped develop Desi-Rae Young, who won the Mountain West Freshman of the Year award and has since become one of the best players in the Mountain West. With the Gauchos, she coached Ila Lane, who was one of the top rebounders in the nation under Enemkpali and has continued her upward trajectory as a dominant rebounder since.
All in all, Enemkpali’s addition signals an emphasis on high-level recruiting, and excellent play in the paint and on the boards
“Adding Nneka Enemkpali to our staff is an incredible gift for the Scarlet Knight program,” Washington said. “Nneka enjoyed a remarkable career as a player at Texas, whose work ethic helped her achieve outstanding successes both on and off the court. We are quite fortunate to have Nneka here, sharing her experiences as an elite player and coach, and it's exciting to imagine all the ways she will positively impact this team.”
Wasielewski and Enemkpali join Tasha Pointer and John Hampton as assistant coaches for the Scarlet Knights this upcoming season.
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