Minium: Even though Nikki McCray is Moving On, The Future Looks Bright for ODU Women's Basketball

By Harry Minium
 
From the day she was introduced nearly three years ago as Old Dominion University's women's basketball coach, you knew Nikki McCray-Penson was the right person to rebuild ODU's once-proud program. She was articulate, smart, charismatic and passionate, and her resume was golden.
 
McCray was a two-time Gold Medal Olympian, two-time All-American at Tennessee, a three-time All-WNBA choice and an inductee into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. She came here from South Carolina, where she was an assistant coach for a decade, just weeks after the Gamecocks won the national title.
 
McCray enriched that resume at ODU, where she took over a program that was floundering and turned it into an almost sure bet to go to the NCAA tournament.
 
ODU was 8-23 in her first season, when she had little talent and no depth. A year later, after bringing in eight recruits, ODU was 21-11 and in the WNIT. This past season the Monarchs were 24-6 and consider that they lost their last two games by three points.
 
ODU was seeded second in the Conference USA tournament and ranked 33rd in the NCAA RPI. That meteoric rebuilding effort earned her C-USA Coach of the Year and she was one of 10 finalists for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year.
 
Barring a complete meltdown in the C-USA tournament, the Monarchs would have gone dancing in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008. Alas, both tournaments were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
 
You also knew that restoring ODU to the national conversation so quickly would draw the attention of Power 5 schools with enormous resources, and it did.
 
McCray has moved on to Mississippi State, a powerhouse program that lost in the national championship games in 2017 and 2018. We all knew she would eventually leave, but we hoped it would not be this soon.

McCray sent a moving letter to ODU's administration, fans and her players. Clearly, this was an offer she could not refuse, but she said she will always treasure her time at ODU.

"I want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart," she wrote. "The past three seasons have taught me so much, and have brought me some of the most rewarding memories of my life.

"I can't imagine a better community to start my career as a head coach. My experience at ODU helped prepare me for this moment and I will forever be grateful for starting my head coaching career with you."

She praised athletic director Wood Selig and President John Broderick for their roles in hiring her and their support the last three seasons. Broderick was a spectator at nearly every home game and at times, dropped by practice to speak to the players and coaches.

"The students are lucky to have such strong leadership guiding them and truly caring about them. I know I was lucky to have such great supporters around me," she wrote.

"To my team: . . . Each one of you will hold a special place in my heart forever. I'll always be here for you. And I expect each of you to approach your next season with the same hard work and determination. You know I'll be watching."

Selig obviously made a great hire when he lured McCray away from South Carolina. But he could not compete with a salary offer from Mississippi State. And only a handful of universities could.
 
Previous MSU coach Vic Schaefer recently left for Texas. I'm not sure how much Longhorns are paying him, but his salary at Mississippi State was reported to be $2 million. Mississippi State isn't just a run of the mill Power 5 women's basketball school. Mississippi State is among the game's elite, on the same level with UConn, South Carolina, Louisville and Notre Dame.
 
Selig also worked hard to keep her here. A few months ago, he quietly offered McCray a contract extension with a large raise which would have made her the highest paid head coach in C-USA while also increasing the salaries for her assistant coaches.
 
He continued to negotiate with her while she was being interviewed by Mississippi State. His efforts continued until late Friday night, when after days of negotiations, McCray finally agreed to terms with the Bulldogs and notified Selig that she would be taking the MSU job.
 
"I would like to compliment and thank coach McCray for the outstanding job she and her staff did at Old Dominion," Selig said Saturday. "During her three years, Nikki successfully brought ODU women's basketball back to being a conference champion contender and NCAA tournament caliber program which is the level our fans have been accustomed to enjoying.
 
"Coach McCray did everything we could possibly ask for and expect from a head coach at ODU. Her teams competed nationally, they excelled in the classroom, and they made numerous and varied community outreach contributions. The young women coach McCray brought in have been role models for many both on and off the court."
 
Everyone involved in ODU athletics should be grateful to McCray, and not just because she won 45 games the last two seasons.
 
She also left the cupboard full.
 
ODU returns all but two seniors and has a good recruiting class headed here in the fall. The coach who replaces her inherits a team that will be favored to win Conference USA.
 
Amari Young, Ajah Wayne and Aziah Hudson all garnered all-conference accolades and Victoria Morris, McCray's first recruit, returns at guard.
 
Maggie Robinson, an athletic 6-foot forward and a starter in 2018-19, sat out this season with a knee injury. She appears to be fully healed. Marie Reichert, a 6-foot-2 freshman from Kassel, Germany, made great progress in her first season.
 
I could go on, but you get the picture. This team has the potential to not only make the NCAA tournament, but also make some noise.
 
That's in part because McCray changed the culture here. After years of mediocrity, ODU's program is permeated with the desire to win. The Monarchs expect to be challenged every day, to work hard and always expect to win.
 
Selig surely will act quickly to hire a new coach. Days before Mississippi State made it official, he was hearing from many coaches eager to replace McCray.
 
"We expect our head coaching position to be extremely attractive for candidates as a result of the dedication and efforts provided by coach McCray," Selig said. "We will continue the upward trajectory that coach McCray and our outstanding group of student-athletes have us on currently. I am extremely excited for and confident of our ODU women's basketball future."
 
In addition to rebuilding ODU's program on the court, she also worked to attract many of the fans who stopped attending games over the last decade. She invited  former coach Wendy Larry and All-American Ticha Penicheiro to speak at the women's basketball fall banquet. She also included the hashtag #RootedTogether on social media posts to emphasize that her program is for everyone. She did podcasts on Facebook to promote her program.

She took a microphone after many games and thanked fans. And who can forget the night when she walked onto the court just before game time and sang the national anthem. That left me with goosebumps. 

She also spoke to ODU's fans in her farewell letter.

"Your unwavering support of our program was truly appreciated," she wrote.

She added: "From the beginning, I realized what a privilege it was to lead this historic basketball program. This is a special community and I appreciate each one of you who supported our team."
 
Slowly but surely, some of those fans began to return this season, but more work remains to be done. Continuing to reach out to ODU's fan base should be a major priority for the new coach.
 
Other than Tennessee, MSU is likely the ideal job for McCray, who played and coached in the SEC. She'll be coaching against South Carolina's Dawn Staley, her long-time friend and mentor. Mississippi State and South Carolina both finished in the Top Ten this past season and are the SEC's two powerhouse programs.
 
Starkville, Miss. Is a 2 ½-hour drive from her family in Collierville, Tenn., and family has always been important to McCray. So important that in the summer of 2018, she took time off to head back to Tennessee and take care of her Mom in her final months.
 
McCray's Mom, Sally Coleman, was treated for breast cancer years ago before it recurred and took her life. McCray is also a breast cancer survivor and has spoken openly about the fear cancer survivors have about a recurrence.
 
Perhaps that explains why she always seemed to be in a hurry. She more than anyone knows that life is finite, and she wanted to get as much done with the time she has.
 
She sure got a lot done here in just three years. Because of her efforts, ODU women's basketball is again on solid footing and despite her departure, the future looks even brighter.
 
Contact Minium: hminium@odu.edu