A new era of Lady Lion hoops has begun.
Penn State is hiring Tanisha Wright as its next women’s basketball head coach, it announced on Thursday afternoon. Wright started for the Lady Lions for four seasons from 2001-05, averaging 14.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
“Penn State women’s basketball has a proud history, a strong tradition and a standard of excellence,” athletic director Pat Kraft said in a university release. “Tanisha Wright embodies everything this program stands for. She is one of the greatest to ever wear a Lady Lion uniform, and she went on to spend 19 years competing and coaching at the highest level of women’s professional basketball, including winning a championship as a player. She knows what winning looks like, she knows what it demands and she understands what our fans and this university expect on the court, in the classroom and in the community.
“As we begin this exciting new chapter with Coach Wright at the helm, her leadership, experience and deep connection to Penn State will be instrumental in building upon our proud tradition and returning this program to the national stage where it belongs.”
She ranks fourth in program history with 1,995 points scored and guided the team to four NCAA tournament appearances, including a run the Elite Eight in 2004, the team’s most recent appearance in the quarterfinals. Wright totaled three first-team All-Big Ten honors and three Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year nods, earning All-American accolades as a senior.
After establishing herself as one of the top players in Penn State history, Wright was drafted No. 12 overall in 2005 by the Seattle Storm, where she went on to win a WNBA title in 2010 while averaging 9.2 points per game that season. She was named to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team five times in a 14-year professional career that also including stints with the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx.
Wright’s coaching career overlapped with her playing days, as she began coaching with Charlotte in 2017 before earning an assistant role with the Las Vegas Aces in 2020. She was elevated to head coach of the Atlanta Dream in 2022, leading the team to a 48-68 record in three seasons before parting ways with the program. In 2025, she served as an assistant for the Chicago Sky, her most recent stop before rejoining the Lady Lions.
“Penn State will always be home to me, and it is an incredible honor to return to this program as head coach,” Wright said in the release. “This University shaped me as a student athlete, and I understand the pride, tradition and expectations that come with wearing the Lady Lion uniform. I’m grateful to President Bendapudi, Pat Kraft and the entire Penn State community for their trust. I’m excited to invest in our student-athletes, compete at the highest level and build a program that reflects the values, toughness and excellence that define Penn State women’s basketball.”
