Guru Commentary: Washington’s Arrival at Rutgers Brings Back Hope - Next Trick is to Transform It Back to Relevancy

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Just less than 24 hours after the Rutgers athletic administration announced the choice of a driver/mechanic to work the engine and other parts and hop in the seat and get the once storied but recent idling women’s basketball program back onto the main roadway where postseason aspirants compete, a beaming Coquese Washington took the podium on the floor of the Jersey Mike’s Arena Tuesday afternoon to offer direction.

She wasn’t one of today’s rock star names that was tantalizingly referenced in the wake of the legendary C. Vivian Stringer’s announced retirement from a 50-year, three-school Hall of Fame coaching career on April 30th ending only the second of two eras - the first being Hall of Famer Theresa Grentz with the Scarlet Knights.

But that’s ok with what what remains of one of the genre’s longest running if not the longest existing fan base. 

Because they know from their longtime involvement, what Rutgers got in Washington was “solid,” and that can go a long way having already been involved in her last head coaching gig coming off Hall of Famer Muffet McGraw’s staff at her alma mater Notre Dame to succeed a mostly glorious Rene Portland era that didn't end well and make the Lady Lions back into a Big Ten champion.

They also know Washington off PSU being the long running rivalry in AIAW Region 1B, Atlantic 10, and Big Ten competition.

However, the last five of Washington’s years in Happy Valley were also damaged but hurt from elsewhere on campus - the recruiting fallout from the Jerry Sandusky scandal attached to Joe Paterno’s football program.

In that, even a Rutgers media that have not been known to pull punches at times in situations with Rutgers women’s basketball, not that many of those were unwarranted, said of Washington’s hire and the  piece of it attached to an otherwise magnificent profile in the sport, plenty exists for a second chance.

And the administration acknowledges that a large dollop of patience is to be offered considering Washington is walking into a roster devastated off graduation and evacuation through the transfer portal.

Though two can play the game so to speak at many programs, as has occurred, one coach on hearing of the hire noted, “there are a lot of players still there in the portal that can provide workable bodies.”

Sometimes one can get lucky as did Hall of Famer Kim Mulkey a year ago jumping from upper echelon Baylor to a broken down LSU operation. She tried to put on the breaks of enthusiasm at the press conference to note the rebuilding ahead but it became like old times as the season grew deep.

If you want a bar - this time around a weakened front end non-conference schedule is given a pass given the chemistry building needed - so an overall near .500  and something close to that in the Big Ten would be outstanding for year one of the six-year deal, though like Washington said Tuesday, she just got hired and she needs a staff and to know what her roster contains before any projections can be made. 

As to how the sides came together as she noted Tuesday, she was happy as an assistant having spent her first year after Penn State at Oklahoma with now retired Sherri Coale and then back to Notre Dame the last two years as part of a successful retooling recruiting effort in the wake of McGraw retiring and Niele Ivey, also a former ND Star, returning from NBA Memphis to succeed running the Irish.

So the initial knock on the door came from the Rutgers side.

‘First you’re like, ‘Wow! A legend just left the building.’ And my heart just went out with so much appreciation. What she meant to me personally.

“I didn’t really think about. `Who’s going to follow ‘Coach Stringer.?’ Or anything like that. It’s just one of those organic things that kind of happens.

“So when the call came l thought, ‘Wow. This is a place l can kind of think about. Consider having conversations. Consider being here.’”

As for following someone as Stringer, “You can’t replace a legend. It’s just not possible.”

So the plan is build “ on who she was and what she meant. The reality is we’re two different people who came from different eras. So things will be different. But what will be the same is the determination to be excellent. The determination to be important to your players.’

Washington said she had  a conversation with Grentz but she and Stringer, though having texted, were still trying to get together in person. There was no initial rush to reach McGraw “wanting to keep this as quiet as possible to avoid any kinds of pressure.”

She arrives with knowledge of the talent-rich area having recruited here a bunch for Notre Dame and Penn State.

But for now in terms of what had been limbo all season when Stringer stepped away in the fall for what was said health concerns, at least the big unknown heading across the summer and into the fall is now a known and what all comes next and next will attract its own attention where much had been reduced from existing at all.