Coquese Washington returned to Williams Arena on January 12 for the first time since 2019 when she was the Penn State head coach (2007-19), where she won three Big Ten titles.
Washington this year brings her Rutgers squad to The Barn. She and Wisconsin’s Marisa Moseley are the conference’s only Black female coaches; Moseley’s Badgers will visit later this season. Rutgers boasts the Big Ten’s only all Black coaching staff as well.
“We certainly have had some movement in the last couple years” said Washington on the hiring of Black coaches. “We’ve had some good hires. There’s still a lot of work to be done in that area.
“It’s up to our administrators to cast a broad and wide net when they have hiring opportunities to ensure that our head coaching ranks are reflective of what our players look like and where they’re from and the diversity with that respect,” surmised Washington, who Rutgers hired last May.
Charles Hallman is a contributing reporter and award-winning sports columnist at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.