Rutgers fires Coquese Washington after four seasons

Rutgers fired women's basketball coach Coquese Washington on Monday after four straight losing seasons.

The Scarlet Knights' season ended Saturday with 11 straight losses and a 9-20 record, including 1-17 in the Big Ten. It marked the worst conference record in the program's history.

Washington, 55, was 42-84 in four seasons after succeeding Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer C. Vivian Stringer. Stringer won 547 games and led Rutgers to 17 NCAA Tournaments over 27 seasons from 1995-2022.

"Rutgers women's basketball has a proud and storied history of success and there is no reason why our program cannot return to its place among the nation's elite," athletic director Keli Zinn said. "We have invested in women's basketball in many ways, we compete in the best athletic conference in the country, and we are supported by passionate fans and loyal donors. I am confident we will find the right coach who can elevate this program to where it belongs. I want to thank Coquese for her service to Rutgers and wish her the best."

Rutgers said a national search for a new coach will begin immediately.

Washington was 209-169 as the head coach at Penn State from 2007-19, earning Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in 2010-11 and three regular season titles (2012-14).

She was an assistant coach at Oklahoma (2019-20) and associate head coach at Notre Dame (2020-22) before taking the job in Piscataway, N.J.

Washington is the second women's hoops coach from a major conference to be fired this month. Boston College parted ways with Joanna Bernabei-McNamee after eight seasons on Sunday.

--Field Level Media