Nikki McCray
Nikki Kesangane McCray-Penson (born December 17, 1971) is the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs women's basketball team[1] and a former professional women's basketball player. She played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for eight seasons. In 2008 after leaving the WNBA, McCray joined the coaching staff as an assistant coach for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.[2] McCray-Penson was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
| Mississippi State Bulldogs | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Head coach | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Southeastern Conference | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | December 17, 1971 Collierville, Tennessee | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 158 lb (72 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Collierville (Collierville, Tennessee) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Tennessee (1991–1995) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1996–2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2006–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Columbus Quest | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2001 | Washington Mystics | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Indiana Fever | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Phoenix Mercury | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | San Antonio Stars | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Chicago Sky | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Western Kentucky (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2017 | South Carolina (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2020 | Old Dominion | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–present | Mississippi State | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||
As coach:
As player:
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| Stats at WNBA.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Playing career
A 5-foot-11-inch (1.80 m) guard from the University of Tennessee, McCray was a member of the Washington Mystics, the Indiana Fever, the Phoenix Mercury, the San Antonio Silver Stars, and the Chicago Sky. She was named to three WNBA All-Star teams (in 1999, 2000, and 2001) and scored 2,550 career points. Prior to joining the WNBA in 1998, she was a star in the now-defunct American Basketball League. While playing in the American Basketball League, McCray was named Most Valuable Player for the 1996–97 season.
McCray has also played basketball at the international level. She won gold medals at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics, and she participated on America's 1998 FIBA World Championship team.[3] She made a name for herself in women's basketball as a world class defender by shutting down a number of the world's best players.
In 2000, she was named a member of the President's Fitness Council,[4] and was also chosen for the 2000 USA Olympic basketball team.
Coaching career
McCray has been an assistant coach at University of South Carolina. She made a new home for herself at the University of South Carolina with a former teammate as head coach, Dawn Staley. Staley said about McCray: "Nikki is hungry for success, and that comes from playing at Tennessee where the coach never settles for anything less than being number one at whatever she's doing. That mentality is instilled in Nikki, and I want people around me like that. She is energetic, confident and engaging – all qualities that you need when you're coaching and recruiting. We spent two Olympic Games together and have shared being successful in the very best arena there is to test yourself."[2]
Other work
In addition to her career on the court, McCray also created a name for herself in the realm of community service. In the year 2000 Nikki McCray was hand-picked by President Bill Clinton to be made a member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
In 1999 The Library of Congress selected Nikki McCray to be the keynote speaker for the Women's History Month Address. "We are pleased to have Ms. McCray with us to kick-off our month long celebration of women's history," said Federal Women's Program Manager Jean Parker. "As an employee of the first women's professional basketball team in the nation's capital and through her community service, Ms. McCray is a wonderful role model for young people."[5]
Tennessee statistics
Source[6]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Tennessee | 31 | 215 | 50.0% | 20.0% | 73.6% | 3.7 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 6.9 |
| 1993 | Tennessee | 32 | 349 | 46.5% | 0% | 72.2% | 4.5 | 1.9 | 2.7 | 0.1 | 10.9 |
| 1994 | Tennessee | 33 | 537 | 50.6% | 0% | 70.3% | 7.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 0.1 | 16.3 |
| 1995 | Tennessee | 31 | 471 | 49.2% | 13.3% | 68.0% | 5.9 | 2.6 | 2.0 | 0.1 | 15.2 |
| Career | 127 | 1572 | 49.2% | 16.0% | 70.5% | 5.3 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 0.1 | 12.4 |
Head Coaching Record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Dominion Lady Monarchs (Conference USA) (2017–2020) | |||||||||
| 2017–18 | Old Dominion | 8–23 | 6–10 | 12th | |||||
| 2018–19 | Old Dominion | 21–10 | 10–6 | 5th | WNIT First Round | ||||
| 2019–20 | Old Dominion | 24–6 | 14–4 | 2nd | NCAA canceled due to coronavirus pandemic | ||||
| Old Dominion: | 53–39 (.576) | 30–20 (.600) | |||||||
| Mississippi State Bulldogs (Southeastern Conference) (2020–present) | |||||||||
| 2020–21 | Mississippi State | 0–0 | 0–0 | ||||||
| Mississippi State: | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | |||||||
| Total: | 53–39 (.576) | ||||||||
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National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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References
- Robb, Courtney (April 9, 2020). "MISSISSIPPI STATE TO NAME NIKKI MCCRAY-PENSON WOMEN'S HEAD BASKETBALL COACH". WCBI.com. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
- Player Bio: Nikki McCray – South Carolina Gamecocks Archived January 23, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, 2012.
- Savage, Lorraine. "McCray, Nikki." Notable Sports Figures. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. January 26, 2012.
- "WNBA's Nikki McCray Named to President's Council on Fitness.", Jet February 28, 2000: 50.Google Books. Web. January 30, 2012.
- Fischer, Audrey. "Nikki McCray Speaks March 3 – News Releases (Library of Congress)". Library of Congress Home. Library of Congress, February 23, 1999. Web. February 1, 2012.
- "Women's Basketball Finest" (PDF). fs.ncaa.org. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
External links
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