Prep Scene
After an outstanding collegiate career at the University of Tennessee (1991-95), winning Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2000, and playing professionally in the WNBA and coaching at the Division I level, Nikki McCray-Penson passed away a couple of weeks ago at the age of 51.
She was an assistant coach at Rutgers University at the time of her death.
McCray-Penson had brief connections with former prep standouts from the Twin Cities metro area. Here are three that occurred at different times during her illustrious career.
April 1995
The first connection between McCray-Penson and the Twin Cities metro area occurred during the 1995 NCAA Women’s Final Four held at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The teams involved were the University of Connecticut, Tennessee, University of Georgia, and Stanford University.
McCray-Penson was a senior guard for a Tennessee team that played SEC rival Georgia in a semifinal game. Georgia featured former Minneapolis Patrick Henry standout center Tracy Henderson and forward Brandi Decker of Minneapolis North, both sophomores at the time.
McCray-Penson led the way with 22 points as the Lady Volunteers defeated the Lady Bulldogs 73-51 before losing the championship game to UConn 70-64.
As I researched information for this column, I came across a photo by Star Tribune photographer Jerry Holt in an April 1995 edition. The caption reads as follows: “Georgia’s Tracy Henderson tried to prevent Tennessee’s Nikki McCray from driving during the first half.”
Summer 2004
During this WNBA season, McCray-Penson teamed with former Minneapolis North girls basketball great, 1998 Miss Basketball, and All-American Tamara Moore to play one season for the Phoenix Mercury.
Before a five-year career in the WNBA, Moore, who is currently the men’s basketball coach at Mesabi Range College, starred at the University of Wisconsin from 1998-2002.
She was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017.
January 2009
McCray-Penson was an assistant coach for the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team under Head Coach Dawn Staley.
She was in the metro area to scout future Miss Basketball and McDonald’s All-American Tayler Hill, at the time one of the nation’s top girls basketball players for City conference champ Minneapolis South. South was hosting the annual Twin Cities game against St. Paul City Conference champion Central.
As fate would have it, McCray-Penson wound up sitting next to me during the game. We talked basketball as Hill led the Tigers to a 60-42 victory.
Hill ended up choosing Ohio State University and went on to outstanding collegiate (2009-2013) and WNBA (2013-2018) careers.
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