Nikki McCray-Penson, who was a star for the Tennessee Lady Vols in the mid-1990s and current Rutgers assistant coach, has died at the age of 51 the Rutgers women’s basketball program announced Friday. No cause of death was known for McCray-Penson, who also spent time as the head coach at Mississippi State and Old Dominion.
During her time at Tennessee, McCray-Penson was named the SEC Player of the Year in 1994 and 1995. Over the course of her four years at the school, the star point guard put together averages of 12.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest, including averaging a career-best 16.3 points during her junior year in 1994.
McCray-Penson was part of three different Lady Vols teams that won the SEC regular-season championship. She also helped lead Tennessee to a pair of SEC Tournament titles as well as an appearance in the 1995 Final Four.
Following her decorated collegiate career, McCray-Penson spent time with the Washington Mystics, Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury, San Antonio Silver Stars, and Chicago Sky in the WNBA. The 5’11 point guard scored 2,550 career points in the WNBA while being selected to the WNBA All-Star Game on three different occasions (1999-2001). Prior to joining the WNBA, McCray-Penson also played…
