Former South Carolina women’s basketball assistant coach Nikki McCray-Penson dies

Nikki McCray-Penson, a Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer who spent nine seasons as a South Carolina assistant coach before leading Old Dominion and Mississippi State as a head coach, has died. She was 51.

Robert Penson, McCray-Penson’s cousin, confirmed her death to The State on Friday. McCray-Penson reportedly passed away due to complications from a second bout with breast cancer, according to 247Sports’ Maria Cornelius.

“Heart hurts like crazy over this one!” former Gamecocks star A’ja Wilson tweeted shortly after news broke on Friday. “Such a fighter and a warrior with the sweetest gentle soul! Coach McCray you’ve helped me in many many ways and you were a true gift from God! Truly will be missed!”

“Wow — a legend, a mother, a wife, a sister, a hooper, my coach,” ex-South Carolina star Ty Harris added via Twitter. “You fought for so long and hard! I thank you for recruiting and believing in me since Day 1. You are a big reason for where and who I am today! Your legacy will forever live on.”

McCray-Penson was a fixture along the sidelines at South Carolina as the program reached national prominence under coach Dawn Staley over the last decade-plus. She was a member of Staley’s initial coaching staff at South Carolina and worked in Columbia from 2008-17.

McCray-Penson was on staff for South Carolina’s first ever national championship in 2017; during her tenure, the Gamecocks made six straight NCAA Tournaments with five Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights and two Final Fours.

She also worked as USC’s assistant recruiting coordinator and helped land some of the Gamecocks’ top modern-era players, including Wilson, the No. 1 recruit in the country in the Class of 2014 who went on to become a WNBA champion and MVP with the Las Vegas Aces.

McCray-Penson was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, battled the disease and was cancer-free in 2017, The State previously reported. Staley released a lengthy and heartfelt statement Friday praising her longtime friend, co-worker and former USA Basketball teammate.

“It’s hard to think about Nikki’s passing because all I can see is how fully she lived,” Staley said in a release. “From her days as a brash rookie in USA Basketball to becoming my friend and colleague to the way she mentored young players, Nikki did everything with her whole heart.”

“Every teammate, every coach, every player who spent time with her knew first that she cared about them as a person, and everything else came from that place. Her presence was something you could feel before you saw her because she had such light, such positive energy inside her no matter what was going on.”

“I am heartbroken that cancer has taken that light from us, but I know that she would want us to be the ones to carry it on in her absence. I pray we all have the strength to do that for her and her son Lil Thomas.”

As a player, McCray-Penson starred for Tennessee under legendary coach Pat Summitt from 1992-95 before going on to a 10-year professional career in the WNBA and American Basketball League.

She twice earned All-American honors and was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year twice — one of only three Volunteers to earn the award on two occasions. McCray-Penson was named Tennessee’s Best Defensive Player each of her four seasons and helped the Volunteers to a 122-11 record during that span.

McCray-Penson, a point guard, went on to become a three-time WNBA All-Star and scored over 2,500 career points over her time in the league. She was also a member of the gold medal-winning 1996 and 2000 Olympic teams, where she played in the same backcourt as Staley.

“I am so heartbroken hearing this news a few minutes ago about Nikki McCray-Penson,” legendary basketball commentator Dick Vitale said Friday on Twitter. “Loved everything about Nikki — she was a Hall of Famer as a player and as a person. May Nikki RIP.”

Following her playing days, McCray-Penson worked as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky, where she was plucked from by Staley to join her first staff at South Carolina in 2008.

McCray-Penson later served as the head coach at Old Dominion for three seasons (where the Monarchs won 20-plus games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 20060-08) and at Mississippi State for one season.

Returning to the SEC via Starkville, she was tasked with replacing legendary Bulldogs head coach Vic Schaefer. McCray-Penson coached MSU through the COVID-affected 2020-2021 season before stepping down due to health issues. She returned to coaching in June 2022 as an assistant at Rutgers under Coquese Washington, whom she played alongside with the Indiana Fever during the 2002 and 2003 seasons.

McCray-Penson is survived by her husband, Thomas, and their 10-year-old son, Thomas Jr. Staley, in a tweet, thanked McCray-Penson for being “my little sister, my friend, my foxhole partner, my teammate, my fast food snacker, my basketball junkie, my fellow Olympian, my gold medalist and now my angel.”

“God’s got you now….suffer no more Nik Nik,” Staley added, attaching a heart emoji.

Women’s basketball world reacts to Nikki McCray-Penson’s death