Dec. 3, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Penn State Lady Lion head coach Coquese Washington will be inducted into the Greater Flint (Mich.) Area Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, December 5 at the Genesys Banquet Center. Washington is one of six individuals and three teams that will be added to the Greater Flint Arena Sports Hall of Fame.
Washington will be enshrined for her standout basketball career that began at Flint's Central High School. Among the other individual inductees are former Detroit Tigers pitcher Scott Aldred, John Biedenbach (baseball), Kelly Hebler (basketball), Roy Hall (wrestling), Don Batchelor (Grand Blanc coach and athletics director). Washington will be unable to attend the ceremony due to the Lady Lions' game at Minnesota on Sunday afternoon. Her husband, Raynell Brown, will accept the honor on her behalf.
Washington was a two-time All-State selection at Central where she led the Indians to their first Saginaw Valley Conference and district championships. She had a school-record 373 points in her senior season, an average of 18.7 points per game. As a junior, Washington averaged 17 points, eight assists and seven steals. Washington was the first four-year start in Central history and finished her career with 1,123 points in 78 games. She was a three-time All-Saginaw Valley Conference selection and a four-time All-City choice while at Central.
After leaving Central High School, Washington accepted a basketball scholarship to play at the University of Notre Dame. As a four-year starting point guard, Washington led the Irish to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and three Midwestern Collegiate Conference tournament titles. The two-time All-MCC paced Notre Dame in steals each of her four seasons in South Bend and topped the team in assists three times. Washington ranks first on Notre Dame's all-time steals per game (2.7) list, second in career steals (307) and fifth in assists (554). Washington was the epitome of a student-athlete at Notre Dame, graduating a full year ahead of schedule with a bachelor's degree in history. She also earned her Juris Doctorate from Notre Dame Law School while playing in the ABL.
Following her time at Notre Dame, Washington played in the ABL and the WNBA for eight seasons. She was a member of the WNBA Champion Houston Comets in 2000 and was the first player in WNBA history to lead three different teams to the postseason (New York, Houston, Indiana).
The Lady Lions open their Big Ten Conference schedule at Minnesota Sunday at 4 p.m. (Eastern). The game can be seen live on the Big Ten Network. Penn State returns to Happy Valley for a four-game homestand, beginning with Monmouth on Wed., Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. Single-game tickets can be purchased by calling the Penn State ticket office at 814-865-5555.
The 2010 WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State will take place on Sunday, Jan. 24 at 1 p.m., as the Lady Lions take on Illinois in the Bryce Jordan Center. The game can be seen on www.bigtennetwork.com. The first three Pink Zone events have raised more than $80,000 for breast cancer awareness. This year's fundraising efforts will benefit the Mount Nittany Medical Center, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit the official Pink Zone website at www.gopsusports.com/pinkzone.
The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow head coach Coquese Washington (@psucoachquese), sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) and the Lady Lions and assistant coaches (@pennstatewbb) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook. Search Lady Lion Basketball and become a fan.