Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544053
5 0 A P R I L 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he Penn State women's basketball team has its next head coach — and the Lady Lions turned to their sto- ried past to find her. On March 19, PSU announced that Tanisha Wright, a decorated alum and 14-year WNBA veteran, will lead the program moving forward. Wright was formally introduced on March 23 as the seventh head coach in Lady Lions his- tory. She called it a "dream come true" to return to the team for which she starred as a player from 2001-05. "I'm incredibly honored to be the next head coach of the Lady Lion program," Wright said. "With so much history of success, Big Ten championships, con- ference titles, NCAA appearances, Penn State has been known to compete at the highest level. "Like so many before me and others after me, this has been a special place in all our hearts. … I've stayed close to the program through the years, and I couldn't be more thrilled to restore the excellence that this program has experi- enced over the last 60 years, while con- tinuing to add to the long-lasting Lady Lion legacy." A prolific scorer during her collegiate playing career, Wright totaled 1,995 points to go along with 621 rebounds and 484 assists at Penn State. She was a standout at the opposite end of the court as well, earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors three times and fin- ishing with 267 steals and 61 blocks. In 2003-04, Wright helped the Lady Lions reach the Elite Eight — the 20th of the 21 NCAA Tournament appearances PSU made during Rene Portland's head coaching tenure. She now inherits a program that has not seen the same level of success in the 22 seasons since her playing career ended, spanning the tenures of Port land, Coquese Washington and, most recently, Carolyn Kieger. The Lady Lions struggled under Kieger, going 10-19 and 11-18 the past two years. In Big Ten play, Penn State finished no higher than sixth during Kieger's tenure and won just five of 36 conference games over the past two seasons. PSU hasn't been to the NCAA Tour- nament since 2014 when it reached the Sweet 16 in Washington's seventh sea- son. There's a lot of work to be done, with the Lady Lions having missed out on the Big Ten Tournament the past two years. But Wright said that athletics di- rector Patrick Kraft made a persuasive case that PSU has the resources to be successful across a wide range of sports. "Pat's vision for Penn State athletics is something that really drew me to want- ing to be back," she said. "I think what we're seeing around Penn State athletics, all the success at all the different pro- grams — women's hockey, men's hockey, women's volleyball, what's happening with football, different things like that — it's really what drew me. "And then the opportunity to stand here as the head coach of a program that I played for, that I bled for, gave so much to and that has given so much to me [was appealing]. To be able to impact young athletes in a positive way — that's some- thing that really showed itself through- out the process and said this was the right time to be here." As a player, Wright built a reputation as a defensive specialist both at Penn State and in the WNBA. She is a five- time first-team WNBA All-Defensive selection and a two-time second-team honoree. Wright, who grew up in West Mifflin, Pa., was selected 12th overall in the 2005 WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm and played nine seasons in the Pacific North- west, winning a WNBA championship in 2010. She later had stints with the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx. Following her playing career, Wright transitioned into coaching, serving as an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces before being named head coach of the Atlanta Dream in 2022. In three seasons with At- lanta, her teams went 48-68, reaching the playoffs in 2023 and '24 with first- round exits. She joins the Lady Lions af- ter one season as an assistant coach with the Chicago Sky in 2025. Kraft was impressed with Wright's ré- sumé and lauded her as the kind of coach who can tap into Penn State's celebrated past while steering it into a future full of new challenges. "Today is a great day for every Lady Lion who helped build this program," he said. "Today is a great day for alums, students, our fans, and everyone who be- lieves in what this program can become again." ■ WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Tanisha Wright Returns To Lady Lions As Head Coach NAT E BAU E R | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M Before agreeing to lead Penn State's program, Wright spent three seasons as head coach of the WNBA's Atlanta Dream and was an assistant with the Chicago Sky last year. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS