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Nikki McCray, ODU head women’s basketball coach, earns USA Basketball nod

Posted at 10:31 AM, May 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-08 10:31:30-04

Coach Nikki McCray-Penson leads the survivors walk.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Old Dominion head women’s basketball coach Nikki McCray-Penson has been selected as a court coach for USA Basketball’s upcoming women’s U19 World Cup and Pan American Games team trials, USA Basketball announced on Tuesday.

The 2019 USA Basketball women’s trials, which will be used to select the 2019 USA Basketball Women’s U19 World Cup and U.S. Pan American Games teams, will take place May 16-20 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

“I’m grateful and honored to have the opportunity to be a part of USA Basketball as court coach,” said McCray. “I am looking forward to learning and growing from this experience.”

Nikki McCray during her Team USA tenure.

McCray joins Gonzaga’s Lisa Fortier, South Dakota State’s Aaron Johnston and Pepperdine’s DeLisha Milton-Jones as the four court coaches selected.

This is the first USA Basketball coaching assignment for McCray, who was selected by the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team Committee. She will assist the USA U19 and U.S. Pan American Games coaching staffs with on-court drills and skills sessions and help coach scrimmages throughout the trials weekend.

Read USA Basketball’s full release here.

ODU Women’s Hoops

At ODU this season, McCray led the Monarchs to one of the biggest turnarounds not only in program history, but in the nation. Old Dominion went 21-11, marking a 13-win improvement from the previous season. The 13+ win mark was the sixth-highest in the NCAA in 2018-19 and the second-best in program history. With the 21 wins, ODU earned an at-large bid to the WNIT, the program’s seventh appearance in the WNIT and first postseason appearance since 2015.