One of the most decorated players to compete for the Lady Lions has been named as the seventh head coach for the Penn State women’s basketball program.
Tanisha Wright, the record holder for most games played (134) in a Lady Lion uniform, returns to Happy Valley only this time coaching from the sidelines.
Wright played for Penn State between 2002-05 and tallied 1,995 career points, good for seventh on the program all-time list. Alongside her scoring, Wright also added 621 rebounds, 484 assists, 267 steals and 61 blocks. She was a three-time selection Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, a three-time All-Big Ten first-team selection and was a three-time recipient for Academic All-Big Ten honors.
Following her standout career in the Blue & White, she was selected by the Seattle Storm with the 12th pick of the 2005 WNBA draft. Wright had a 14-year career in the league, competing 10 seasons in Seattle which included nine consecutive playoff appearances, followed by four seasons between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx. Her WNBA career lasted 457 regular season games with 36 playoff appearances and a 2010 championship with the Seattle Storm.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.The West Mifflin, Pa. native was then named as an assistant coach of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces from 2020-21. She helped guide the Aces to the WNBA Finals in 2020 and the semifinals in 2021, before landing her first head coaching position for the Atlanta Dream from 2021-24.
After spending three years coaching in Atlanta, Wright took an assistant coaching position for the Chicago Sky in January of 2025.
“Penn State will always be home to me, and it is an incredible honor to return to this program as head coach,” said Wright. “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.”
