Rutgers University announced today that assistant coach and Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer Nikki McCray-Penson has passed away at the age of 51. No cause of death has been released but McCray-Penson previously battled breast cancer in 2013 and cited “unspecified health concerns she hoped were behind her,” when she resigned from the Mississippi State head coaching position in 2021, according to ESPN. She was set to enter her second season as an assistant coach for the Scarlet Knights. She had a 10-year-old son with her husband, Thomas Penson.
“Today is deeply sad and emotional day for everyone who knew and loved Nikki.