Rutgers Women’s B-Ball Tips Off Season at Big Ten Media Day
Newly minted Rutgers women’s basketball head coach Coquese Washington is on the precipice of opening her first season as Head Coach at Rutgers, following in the footsteps of two Hall of Fame coaches in C. Vivian Stringer and Theresa Grentz.
“It’s surreal in so many ways. I know both coaches. To me they are Coach Stringer and Coach Grentz. They are always giving me bits of advice. I look at it as following in the steps of two mentors I respect so much. I don’t want to let them down at all, and we keep the standard as high as they established,” Washington told reporters this past week.
Coming to you live from Minneapolis 📍#GoRU | #RUWBB pic.twitter.com/0BG9aht9EB
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) October 11, 2022
On Tuesday, Washington was joined by veterans Chyna Cornwell and Erica Lafayette in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the Big Ten Media Day. It was the nation’s first opportunity to meet Rutgers’ new women’s head coach, who of course is no stranger to the Big Ten. Washington spent 13 years as Head Coach at Penn State before working as an assistant at Oklahoma and Notre Dame.
This will be a rebuilding season for Rutgers, which currently has a roster of eight players. Washington added during her press conference with New Jersey reporters that recruiting is always on-going as the culture continues to build. While in Minneapolis she was asked about re-establishing the brand of success Rutgers has grown accustomed to.
FITTED UP‼️🔥#GoRU | #RUWBB pic.twitter.com/ZkijtvABfC
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) October 11, 2022
“Well, it’s not really so much about trying to differentiate ourselves or looking and comparing ourselves to what Maryland is doing or Nebraska or even Minnesota. It’s really about establishing our culture, who we are, how we play. Those things are where we talk with our team right now.
“We’re in discovery mode, right? We’re discovering who we are. Actually, as a staff and as a program, we’ve all been together since September with 1, a little over a month. So we’re still in discovery mode.
“It’s about laying the foundation of who we want to be. Our style of play, we like to play fast, we like to get up and down the court. That’s obviously where the game is going.
“As we work to establish our identity and set ourselves up for long-term sustained success, it’s not about winning a few games this year but it’s about being a program that’s going to be a stalwart in the Big Ten Conference. That’s going to take some time and dedication to laying and building a strong foundation.”
Rutgers women’s basketball begins the season November 7 against Hofstra at Jersey Mike’s Arena. RU’s first Big Ten clash is not until December 4 against Ohio State, which will also be in Piscataway.
