COLUMBIA, S.C. – Rutgers women's Basketball head coach Coquese Washington announced Wednesday afternoon that Rutgers will travel to South Carolina for an exhibition game on Sunday, Oct. 22, to honor Nikki McCray-Penson, who served as an assistant coach on both staffs during her coaching career. The contest, which is free and open to the public, will tipoff at 1 p.m. at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.
"Nikki had such a dynamic personality and we vowed from day one to keep her memory alive and well," Washington said. "Dawn [Staley\ and I wanted to do something for Nikki's family, and playing a game in her honor to benefit her son, is a tribute we believe Nikki would have loved."
Throughout the game, both the Scarlet Knights and Gamecocks will raise funds for In the Middle, a non-profit organization in Columbia that provides financial assistance to women who are battling breast cancer and their families. The group, founded by a breast cancer survivor, assists with medical expenses and other bills in addition to its scholarship program for children of breast cancer patients.
As a player, McCray-Penson was a two-time All-American and three-time All-SEC selection at Tennessee. After graduating in 1995, she played in the American Basketball League (ABL), earning MVP honors after leading the Columbus Quest to the 1997 ABL Championship. McCray-Penson moved to the WNBA for eight seasons across five different teams, earning All-Star status three times. On the international stage, she was a two-time Olympic gold medalist, during which she teamed with South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley.
Following the playing career that earned her a spot in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, McCray-Penson turned to coaching, serving as an assistant at Western Kentucky (2006-08) before joining Staley's staff at South Carolina (2008-17) where she helped the Gamecocks become a national power, culminating in the 2017 National Championship. Her success at South Carolina helped propel her into her first head coach job, leading Old Dominion (2017-20) and then Mississippi State (2020-21) before she had to step down due to health reasons.
After a season away from the game, McCray-Penson came back to the sidelines with Washington at Rutgers. While "On The Banks" McCray-Penson helped the Scarlet Knights set a solid foundation for the team. She guided the program to its 1,000th win in program history. She also helped to guide freshman guard Kaylene Smikle to greatness, as she was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team (Media & Coaches) and the Big Ten All-Freshman team (Media & Coaches). McCray-Penson also helped Smikle become Rutgers' all-time leading freshman scorer.
Follow Along
Follow Rutgers women's basketball on Twitter and Instagram (@RutgersWBB) for all of the latest news and updates. The team is also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersWBB). For all Rutgers Athletics news follow us on Twitter(@RUAthletics), Instagram (@RUAthletics), and Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
