Nikki McCray-Penson passes away at 51 years old

Alright, welcome back, I'm Craig Loper. This afternoon comes some incredibly sad news from the world of women's basketball. Former ODU coach Nikki McRae Pinson has passed

away

at the age of 51 after a battle with breast cancer and pneumonia during which she was Monarch's head coach. three seasons from 2017 to 2020. Originally from Collierville, Tennessee, McRae had an incredible playing career where she starred for the University of Tennessee from 1992 to 1995, winning SEC Player of the Year in her junior and senior seasons, thereafter he turned professional playing in AWA. NBA WNBA seasons and three more seasons as a professional, she was a three-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist.

After finishing her playing career, she immersed herself in the world of coaching and started at Western Kentucky as an assistant. There she was an assistant to Don Staley at South Carolina and helped turn the Gamecocks into a perennial power that won the National Championship in 2017. Tributes from across women's basketball have been pouring in all day. The WNBA sent thoughts and prayers to the family of McRae Pinson, the Washington Mystic. saying she lit up every room she walked into McRae played Four Seasons for the team, mentor friend and Titan in the game Don Staley wrote a long message sharing some of their experiences in the 10

years

they worked together and women's basketball superstar Asia Wilson, who was the centerpiece of the Gamecocks' championship run in 2017.

I spoke with Dr. Wood Selig and asked him what he hopes ODU fans remember about McRae Pinson's infectious, contagious smile and his passion for basketball and just his me with a good heart and his legacy remains at ODU. women's basketball today, when she accepted the job at Mississippi State, on the way out she basically said, "Hey, I have a really good candidate in mind for all of you and you won't miss a beat and that's Delicia Milton Jones and she actually directed The Two of We Delicia Milton Jones and ODU together, so his legacy continues at ODU after three seasons at ODU McRae Pinson was head coach at Mississippi State for one year, but then stepped

away

to fight breast cancer.

He was an assistant at Rutgers University last season McRae Pinson was 51

years

old