Student Tanisha Wright Named Lady Lion Basketball Coach – Penn State
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Patrick Kraft has named 4-12 months Penn State ladies’s basketball letterwinner Tanisha Wright because the seventh head coach of the Lady Lion basketball program. She returns to Happy Valley following a 5-12 months stint teaching within the WNBA, together with three seasons as a head coach.
Wright can be launched as head coach of the Lady Lions at a press convention on Monday, March 23 at midday ET.
One of essentially the most adorned gamers in program historical past, Wright led the Lady Lions to again-to-again Big Ten common season titles and 4 NCAA Tournament appearances from 2001 to 2005, together with journeys to the Sweet 16 (2002, 2003) and Elite Eight (2004). In all 4 of her seasons in Happy Valley, Penn State completed ranked within the Associated Press Top 25, with a program-excessive No. 5 rating in 2003-04. A 3-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Wright additionally earned three All-Big Ten first group picks, Academic All-Big Ten honors, first-group USBWA All-American recognition and three AP All-American Honorable Mention awards.
“Penn State women’s basketball has a proud history, a strong tradition and a standard of excellence,” Kraft mentioned. “Tanisha Wright embodies the whole lot this program stands for. She is likely one of the biggest to ever put on a Lady Lion uniform, and she or he went on to spend 19 years competing and training on the degree of ladies’s highest skilled basketball, together with profitable a championship as a participant. She is aware of what profitable appears to be like like, she is aware of what it calls for and she or he understands what our followers and this college anticipate on the court docket, within the classroom and locally. As we start this thrilling new chapter with Coach Wright on the helm, her management, expertise and deep connection to Penn State can be instrumental in constructing upon our proud custom and returning this program to the nationwide stage the place it belongs.”
“Penn State will always be home to me, and it is an incredible honor to return to this program as head coach,” Wright mentioned. “This University shaped me as a student athlete, and I understand the pride, tradition and expectations that come with wearing the Lady Lion uniform. I’m grateful to President Bendapudi, Pat Kraft and the entire Penn State community for their trust. I’m excited to invest in our student-athletes, compete at the highest level and build a program that reflects the values, toughness and excellence that defines Penn State women’s basketball.”
The West Mifflin, Pa. native suited up in a Blue & White jersey 134 instances, the second-most video games performed by a Lady Lion in program historical past. She compiled 771 subject targets all through her collegiate profession, which ranks fifth within the PSU report e book along with 439 free throws. Wright was a famend defender for the Lady Lions, grabbing 621 rebounds, 267 steals and 61 blocks. Throughout Wright’s sophomore and senior campaigns, the group went undefeated (16-0 in 2002-03 and 12-0 in 2004-05) at dwelling within the Bryce Jordan Center.
Upon graduating from Penn State, Wright was drafted because the No. 12 general choose within the 2005 WNBA Draft to the Seattle Storm. She spent 10 seasons within the Emerald City, serving to her group to 9-straight playoff berths together with a championship in 2010. The 19-12 months veteran made stops with the New York Liberty (2015-16, 2019) and the Minnesota Lynx (2018), earlier than retiring from the league in 2019.
Throughout her skilled profession, Wright secured a number of awards, together with WNBA All-Defensive first group honors on 5 events (2009-10, 2011, 2013-14) with the Storm and All-Defensive second group twice with the Liberty (2015-16). She helped the Storm to a WNBA Championship in 2010 and was acknowledged as one of many league’s elite perimeter defenders. The Lady Lion alumna additionally had stints taking part in professionally abroad in Israel, France, Poland and Turkey.
Wright started his teaching profession in 2017, whereas nonetheless taking part in professionally. She served as an assistant coach on the University of North Carolina at Charlotte the place she oversaw the event of the perimeter gamers and guards.
The Lady Lion legend earned her first WNBA teaching place with the Las Vegas Aces as an assistant coach since 2020-21. She helped information the Aces to the WNBA Finals in 2020 and the semifinals in 2021, earlier than touchdown her first head teaching place on the helm of the Atlanta Dream from 2021-24.
With the Dream, she led her squad to again-to-again playoff appearances for the primary time since 2013 along with three consecutive double-digit win seasons. Wright was named the AP Coach of the Year in 2022 following a 14-win season, the group’s finest mark since 2018. The 4-12 months PSU letterwinner mentored Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray to consecutive All-Star appearances in 2022-23 and 2023-24 respectively. Along with Howard’s All-Star nod, Wright guided her to incomes the 2022 WNBA Rookie of the Year, marking solely the second in franchise historical past.
After his three-12 months stint within the Peach State, Wright took an assistant teaching place on the Chicago Sky in January of 2025.
Wright additionally has expertise teaching on the nationwide group degree. She made her first look with USA Basketball as a court docket coach for the ladies’s nationwide group on the 2024 FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Antwerp, Belgium. Wright then served as a scout for the 2024 USA Basketball Women’s National Team on the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
THE WRIGHT FILE
Staff
Year at Penn State: 1st
Hometown: West Mifflin, Pa.
Education: Penn State, 2005 – BA Elementary Education
Coaching Career
2026-current: Penn State [Head Coach]
2025: Chicago Sky [Assistant Coach]
2021-24: Atlanta Dream [Head Coach]
2020: Las Vegas Aces [Assistant Coach]
2017: UNC Charlotte [Assistant Coach]
Playing Experience
2002-05: Penn State
2005-14: Seattle Storm [WNBA]
2015-16: New York Liberty [WNBA]
2018-19: Minnesota Lynx [WNBA]
2019: New York Liberty [WNBA]
The Penn State ladies’s basketball season is introduced by Highmark.