Rutgers hires Coquese Washington as women’s basketball coach

Rutgers announced they have hired Coquese Washington as the new women’s basketball head coach on Monday night. Washington replaces C. Vivian Stringer who recently retired.

“We are excited to welcome Coquese and her family to Rutgers,” said Athletic Director Pat Hobbs. “It is important that the next leader of our women’s basketball program be someone with a proven track record of winning, exemplary leadership and great character. Coquese is thRutgers hires Coquese Washington as women’s basketball coache perfect fit on all those criteria. She is someone who is hard-working, passionate and dedicated to building a championship program and that commitment extends equally to the success our student-athletes will have off the court. I look forward to Coquese leading this next chapter of the program and continuing the legacy that has come to define Rutgers women’s basketball.”

Coquese Washington is a seasoned veteran with two decades of experience

Washington has 22 years of coaching experience, leading Penn State to three consecutive Big Ten titles during her 12 year stint in State College, and being named Big Ten’s coach of the year three times. She most recently served as associate head coach at Notre Dame for two seasons.

“I am beyond thrilled with the opportunity to be here at Rutgers, a university that excels both academically and athletically,” said Washington. “Following in the footsteps of Hall of Fame coaches Theresa Grentz and C. Vivian Stringer is a tremendous honor. They exemplify achieving high levels of excellence with grace, class, integrity and dignity. The way they blazed trails and impacted the lives of student-athletes and coaches, beyond the ones on their teams, is nothing short of amazing. Standing on their shoulders to guide this program is going to be a wonderful adventure, and our family is eager to get to Piscataway and become a part of this remarkable community.”

Salary

Rutgers Athletics and Washington agreed to a six-year contract from 2022-23 through 2027-28, that guarantees total compensation at $4.625 million with additional performance incentives.