Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1496986
M A Y 2 0 2 3 6 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M With the WNBA season set to begin in May, former Penn State women's basketball great Tanisha Wright is looking to build on a strong head coach- ing debut. Last year, Wright won Associated Press Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Atlanta Dream to a 14-22 record. Finishing eight games under .500 might not seem like a great season, but it was the first time since 2018 that the Dream reached double-digit wins. In addition, Wright's first draftee, standout Kentucky shooting guard Rhyne Howard, earned Rookie of the Year notice after averaging 16.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game. Wright, a 2005 Penn State graduate and the seventh-leading scorer in Lady Lion basketball history with 1,995 points, was given a five-year contract extension in December, as was general manager Dan Padover. "Our staff and players set a foundation last year, and knowing that owner- ship trusts us to accomplish the goals that we have all set is exciting," Wright said. "This level of commitment and stability will allow us to take the long view as we build our team and our culture and attract quality players in pursuit of a championship." Wright was a second-team All-American as a senior at Penn State in 2005. She went on to play nine seasons with the WNBA's Seattle Storm, winning a league championship with the team in 2010. She also played for the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx and, like many WNBA stars, competed internationally during the league's offseason. The West Mifflin, Pa., native broke into coaching as an assistant with the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, where she was part of a staff helmed by former Detroit Pistons star Bill Laimbeer. Wright's second season with the Dream will begin May 10 when the team travels to face the Washington Mystics in its opener. Larry Gottesdiener, the Dream's primary owner, said he understands the need for patience as Wright and Padover work to re-establish the franchise after years of struggle. "We are essentially building the Atlanta Dream from scratch, and that takes time," Gottesdiener said. "What Tanisha and Dan accomplished with this team in less than a year is extraordinary, and is something that should put the sports world on notice of exciting things to come from our franchise." — Matt Herb his least-productive year since he was a rookie, making just one start and catching 32 passes for 362 yards and 5 touchdowns. The former Penn Stater didn't fit the offensive system that new coach Mike McDaniel wanted to run, which called for the tight ends to serve in more tra- ditional roles as inline blockers. In what would turn out to be his last game as a Dolphin, Gesicki caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Skylar Thompson just be- fore halftime, giving the upset-minded Dolphins new life in their battle with heavily favored Buffalo in the Wild Card Round of the AFC playoffs in January. Late in the fourth quarter, Gesicki was targeted again on a fourth-and-5 pass, but Thompson's errant throw fell in- complete, and the Dolphins went on to lose 34-31. Following the season, Gesicki became an unrestricted free agent. He signed a one-year deal with the Patriots with a $4.5 million base salary and another $4.5 million in performance incentives. New England coach Bill Belichick had spoken highly of Gesicki during the sea- son and was well aware of his skill set, since the Patriots share a division with Miami and face the Dolphins twice a year. At 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, Gesicki straddles the line between a tight end and a wide receiver. Having traded tight end Jonnu Smith to Atlanta in March for a seventh-round draft pick, Belichick saw a role for Gesicki with the Patriots, who are looking to get back to the play- offs after finishing 8-9 in 2022. "He's a tough guy to game-plan for, hard to cover," Belichick said. "I look forward to working with Mike. We'll see how it goes. He's kind of a unique player. Hopefully, we'll be able to use him pro- ductively." The Patriots also signed former Pitts- burgh and Kansas City receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in the offseason, hop- ing to provide quarterback Mac Jones with the targets he'll need to engineer an offensive turnaround after a season in which New England ranked 20th in the league in passing offense at 208.0 yards per game. Gesicki said he can't wait to get started. "I'm going to come in here and work hard every single day," he said. "I'm going to be out there enjoying myself, having fun, doing it all with a smile on my face. I'm excited for this upcoming season." ■ Wright guided Atlanta to a 14-22 record in the WNBA last season. It was the first time since 2018 that the team won 10 or more games. PHOTO COURTESY ATLANTA DREAM Tanisha Wright Readies For Year 2 As Dream's Head Coach