Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1476228
1 8 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Carolyn Kieger's newest assistant coach will be awfully familiar to Penn State women's basketball fans. Maggie Lucas is one of the greatest players in Lady Lions history, rank- ing second all-time in scoring with 2,510 career points. A two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, she helped lead PSU to three conference regular- season titles and four NCAA Tourna- ment appearances. After graduating in 2014, Lucas moved on to the WNBA and later played professionally in Europe. When she retired this past spring, she was quickly hired by Kieger as di- rector of player development. After only a few months on the job, she was named an assistant coach. BWI recently caught up with Lucas to talk about returning to her alma mater. BWI: You were in the midst of a very successful playing career in Eu- rope. What made this the right time to move on to something new? LUCAS: "I was having a great time over there. I was playing some of my best basketball, but I tore my ACL for the third time. That's been really hard. I had two ACL injuries in my early to mid-20s and played five or six years injury-free and had a good thing going, but with this last injury, it re- ally wears on you. I just don't want to go through these injuries anymore. The surgeries, they get harder and harder. "This was my left knee — it's the first time I injured that one. The first two ACLs were my right knee. It's a lot as an athlete to keep going through injuries and keep coming back. I felt like it was the perfect time to make a transition." BWI: You were initially hired by Penn State as director of player development. How did that come about? LUCAS: "When Coach Kiegs got the job a few years back, she had reached out to me, just wanting to build relationships with the alumni. I thought that was pretty cool. We talked, and we stayed in touch over the past couple of years. "Penn State means a lot to me, and it was important to stay involved with the program and get to know Coach Kiegs. "She had always mentioned, 'When you're ready, please let me know. I would love to bring you back into the program in one way or another.' It worked out per- fectly with that player development role. And then things happened over the sum- mer. The timing for me to be promoted to assistant coach kind of worked out, too. "I'm all-in with Kiegs. I think she's an amazing leader of the Lady Lion program, and I'm excited to be working for her and to give back to the program that gave me so much." BWI: What will your role be on the staff? Will you be working primarily with the guards? LUCAS: "Primarily with the guards. There's going to be a focus on shooting and shooting efficiency, setting up cuts, different details that were a big part of my career and my expertise as a player. We'll build from there." BWI: Had you envisioned getting into coaching after your playing ca- reer was over? LUCAS: "It's hard to picture my life without basketball being at the center of it. I didn't know what that would be, but it's been really nice for me. "The injury was devastating, and it was good to be able to step right away into the position of being with a team — not just a team, but being with Penn State, somewhere where I made my most fond basketball memories. "It's a place that I'm so passionate about and care so much about. Being able to step back into that right away, with this group of girls, it just felt like the timing was perfect." BWI: Penn State has had just one winning season since you graduated in 2014. What are the keys to getting the program back to where it aspires to be? LUCAS: "It's going to take a lot of toughness, a lot of attention to de- tail. When I was a freshman and [All- Big Ten point guard] Alex Bentley was a sophomore, it was player-led. "This coaching staff is really special, but the Big Ten is one of the toughest conferences top to bottom. I think there has to be accountability from players every day. They have to be focused on the details and competing every day in practice. "From what I've seen so far this sum- mer, I think our players do a great job with that. I'm really excited about the direction we're headed. The vibe feels really strong. "In a lot of ways, the energy reminds me of when I was a freshman and Alex was a sophomore. You could just feel something coming. I feel that way with this group." ■ Sitting Down With Women's Basketball Asst. Coach Maggie Lucas Lucas will be making her coaching debut with the Lady Lions this com- ing season. As a player, she helped Penn State qualify for the NCAA Tournament four years in a row and twice reach the Sweet 16. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS