UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women's basketball head coach Carolyn Kieger has announced the promotion of Natisha Hiedeman to assistant coach for the 2023-24 season.
"We are thrilled to announce the promotion of Natisha to assistant coach." Kieger said. "We look forward to seeing her expertise contribute to the growth and achievements of our student-athletes. Having a starting point guard in the WNBA as one of our coaches is an invaluable asset of our program. I can't wait to call her coach!"
Advancing from the position of Director of Player Development, Hiedeman becomes the fifth assistant coach on the Lady Lions staff, providing guidance with a primary focus on guards.
Hiedeman is an active player with the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA. Hiedeman is averaging 8.2 points per game across 34 games this season for the Sun, who hold the third-best record in the league.
"I'm feeling an overwhelming amount of gratitude that Coach Kiegs has given the opportunity to learn and coach alongside her." Hiedeman said. "Even more excited to be able to coach and teach a group of women that show up everyday wanting to learn and become great on and off the court."
A four-year veteran of the professional circuit, she has competed in 145 WNBA contests since being drafted by the Minnesota Lynx at pick No. 18 in the 2019 Draft. Following a trade to Connecticut, she has played exclusively for the Sun, averaging 7.4 points and 2.4 assists from the point for her career.
Hiedeman's connection to Coach Kieger began at Marquette. With the Golden Eagles, she earned All-American accolades from both the Associated Press and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association as a senior, along with Big East Player of the Year honors. Registering 17.6 points per game that season, she also made a Marquette single-season record 93 3-pointers. She stands as the Golden Eagles' career leader for 3-pointers with 301 and is third on the program's scoring list with 1,913 during her career.
