UNIVERSITY PARK – Penn State women's basketball has named Natisha Hiedeman the director of player development, head coach Carolyn Kieger announced Monday. A four-year player on the Connecticut Sun, Hiedeman formerly played under Kieger at Marquette from 2015-19.
Kieger on Hiedeman: "I am beyond excited to welcome Natisha to our Program. Her personality and love for the game are infectious. I'm thrilled that our young women will the get the chance to learn from her. She has invaluable experience playing in the WNBA and NCAA tournament, which will help our players both on and off the floor. I am ecstatic to be back working with Natisha, who is one of the most loyal, hardworking, and caring people I know. There is no doubt we got better today!"
Hiedeman on joining Penn State women's basketball: "After playing for Coach Kieger for four years, I'm eager and excited to work alongside of her at Penn State. I'm looking forward to making a positive impact on the players and guiding them to be the best athletes and people they can be."
Hiedeman Bio: Hiedeman has spent all four years of her WNBA career with the Sun, accumulating 778 points, 193 rebounds, 257 assists, 85 steals and 12 blocks. She is 10th in franchise history in three-pointers made with 156.
Hiedeman is coming off a breakthrough 2022 season, her first as a full-time starter, that saw her achieve career-highs in points per game (9.1), assists per game (3.3), steals per game (1.2), field goal percentage (.431) and three-point percentage (.411).
Her improvements showed in the playoffs, as she was a key piece on the team's run to the WNBA Finals. She scored double-digit points in six of 12 matches, including a 14-point performance in the Sun's lone win in the WNBA finals.
Helping the Sun reach the finals twice, Hiedeman is eighth in the Sun's postseason history in assists (62) and three-pointers made (34) and 12th in scoring (174) and steals (13).
The highest Big East pick since the conference's realignment and in program history, Hiedeman was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx.
A star guard under Kieger, Hiedeman helped lead Marquette to three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including two second round trips in 2018 and 2019, the 2017-18 and 2018-19 regular season conference season championships and three-straight Big East Tournament Championship Games, including winning the 2017 Big East Tournament Title.
The guard recorded a tournament-high 32-point performance against Rice in the first round on March 22, 2019. In the 2017 Big East Championship Game, she dropped 28 points in the 86-76 win over No. 17 DePaul.
Hiedeman is immortalized in the Golden Eagles' record books, as she is the all-time leader in three-pointers made (301), third in points scored (1,913), fourth in steals (245) and field goals made (673), sixth in assists (452) and eighth in three-point percentage (35.8)
The Big East Player of the Year in her senior campaign, Hiedeman recorded career-highs in points per game (18.1), field goal percentage (.440), three-point percentage (.392), rebounds (210), steals (70) and blocks (19). She broke a program record for threes made in a season with 93.
