Kelly Mazzante enters her first season as an assistant coach for the Lady Lions in 2026-27.
Mazzante and head coach Tanisha Wright played together for three seasons (2001-04) for Penn State. She returns to PSU with 12 years of collegiate coaching experience, including her most recent three-year stint at Georgetown.
The prolific Lady Lion scorer returns to Happy Valley after a three-year stretch at Georgetown. Mazzante held multiple titles throughout her time with the Hoyas, first joining the staff as an assistant coach in 2023, then being promoted to recruiting coordinator in 2024 and elevated further to associate head coach prior to the 2025-26 season. In her first year on the Hilltop, Georgetown had a historic year, advancing to the Big East Championship for the first time in program history and competed in the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament. Mazzante helped coach the 2024 Big East Defensive Player of the Year, two Big East Sportsmanship Award winners, the 2024 Big East Sixth Woman and two first-team All-Big East honorees. Throughout her three seasons with the Blue & Gray, the Hoyas held a 48-47 record.
Prior to her time in Washington, D.C., Mazzante spent four seasons at Bucknell including three as an assistant and an associate head coach promotion in 2022-23. During her coaching stretch with the Bison, the team appeared in one Patriot League Championship and made a WNIT run in 2021-22. Her squad was enroute to their best season in 2019-20, finishing 24-6 before the conference tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. As a whole, she coached three first-team All-Patriot League selections as well as three second-team honorees and two third-team members.
The Penn State all-time leading scorer was formally inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 30, 2022. Mazzante began her coaching career in 2014 as an assistant coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. During her five-year stretch at IUP, she helped guide the program to one of its most successful spans in school history, all of which resulted in 20-plus wins and bids to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Her time with the Crimson Hawks concluded by back-to-back appearances in the Final Four for the first time ever in program history. In a five-year stretch at IUP, Mazzante helped lead the team to a 130-29 (.818) overall record and a 92-17 (.844) PSAC record in addition to winning three PSAC West regular season championships, two PSAC tournament titles and two Atlantic Region crowns.
Upon graduating from Penn State, Mazzante was drafted as the No. 18 overall pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft by the Charlotte Sting. She spent three seasons in the Queen City before the team was disbanded in 2007. The PSU icon was picked up by the Phoenix Mercury, where she helped her team to two WNBA Championships in 2007 and 2009. After three seasons in the Valley, Mazzante concluded her WNBA career with the Atlanta Dream in 2009. Throughout her seven seasons at the professional level in the United States, she played in 200 games and averaged 4.7 points per contest. Mazzante also dhad a stint playing professionally overseas in Slovakia, Russia, Hungary and Italy.
Mazzante is one of the most prominent players to have donned the Lady Lion uniform. She is the all-time leading scorer at Penn State, boasting 2,919 career points, ranking fourth all-time in the Big Ten Conference record book. The Pennsylvania native suited up in a Blue & White jersey 133times, the third-most games played by a Lady Lion in program history. In addition to her career scoringrecord, she sits atop the PSU record book in multiple statistical categories including career scoring average (21.9), career 30-point games (27), career field goals (1,051), single-season field goals (716; 2001-02), single-game points (49) and single-game three-point field goals (9). She completed her illustrious collegiate career with 2,919 points, 1,051 field goals, 563 rebounds, 357 three-point field goals, 289 steals and 237 assists.
The Lady Lion legend garnered a significant amount of attention in the conference and nationally. The Big Ten’s No. 4 all-time leading scorer (men or women), repeated twice as the Big Ten Player of the Year on top of her 17 Big Ten Player of the Week selections. She was the first player to earn four first-team All-Big Ten selections in conference history and first player to lead the Big Ten in scoring in her first three seasons. In 2004, she was named the Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year.
Mazzante collected three WBCA and USBWA first-team All-American honors in addition to two Associated Press first-team All-American nods. She was a three-time Naismith Award Finalist and a two-time Wade Trophy Finalist. Mazzante was earning national recognition as early as her rookie campaign, becoming the National Freshman of the Year in 2001. Not only was the renowned forward accomplished on the court, but she was a three-time Academic All-American as well. She capped off her senior academic campaign collecting the 2004 Academic All-American of the Year award and was named the 2004 Senior CLASS All-American.
Mazzante boasted individual success while wearing the Blue & White jersey but also guided her team to high achievements as well. Mazzante led the Lady Lions to two-straight Big Ten regular season titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances including a trip to the Sweet 16 (2003) and the Elite Eight (2004). In all four of her seasons in Happy Valley, Penn State finished ranked in the Associated Press top 25 poll, including finishing fifth in 2003-04. Throughout Mazzante’s junior campaign, the team went undefeated (16-0 in 2002-03) at home in the Bryce Jordan Center. Mazzante graduated from Penn State in 2004 with a Bachelor’s of Science in public relations/communications.
Few players in Pennsylvania high school girls basketball history have been able to match the numbers put up by Mazzante during her time at Montoursville. The Williamsport, Pa., native scored 3,217 points as a four-year starter, which ranked third in state history when she graduated. She led the Warriors to state championship appearances as both a junior and senior, winning the Eastern Pennsylvania regional titles both seasons.
Mazzante is joined in Happy Valley by her wife, Alicia and daughter, Mila.
THE MAZZANTE FILE
Year at Penn State: 1st
Hometown: Montoursville, Pa.
Education: Penn State, 2000-04
Coaching Career:
2026: Penn State [Assistant Coach]
2025-26: Georgetown [Associate Head Coach]
2024-25: Georgetown [Recruiting Coordinator]
2023-24: Georgetown [Assistant Coach]
2022-23: Bucknell [Associate Head Coach]
2021-22: Bucknell [Assistant Coach]
2020-12: Bucknell [Assistant Coach]
2019-20: Bucknell [Assistant Coach]
2018-19: IUP [Assistant Coach]
2017-18: IUP [Assistant Coach]
2016-17: IUP [Assistant Coach]
2015-16: IUP [Assistant Coach]
2014-15: IUP [Assistant Coach]
Playing Experience:
2000-04: Penn State
2004-2011: WNBA
2004-07: Charlotte Sting
2007-09: Phoenix Mercury
2011: Atlanta Dream