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Former WPIAL great Tanisha Wright starts WNBA coaching career in Las Vegas | TribLIVE.com
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Former WPIAL great Tanisha Wright starts WNBA coaching career in Las Vegas

Bill Beckner
Bill Beckner
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AP
Tanisha Wright of the New York Liberty handles the ball in a 2019 game against the Los Angeles Sparks.

Tanisha Wright retired from the WNBA in 2019 to cap a 14-year playing career.

Now the former West Mifflin and Penn State star is returning to the women’s professional league as a coach.

Wright on Wednesday was named an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces, coached by former Detroit Pistons “Bad Boy” Bill Laimbeer, who recently drew ire from viewers of “The Last Dance” ESPN documentary about Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls.

Laimbeer also is the team’s president of basketball operations. He was booed for not shaking hands with the Bulls after Detroit was swept in the 1991 Eastern Conference finals.

It’s clear Laimbeer will be glad to shake Wright’s hand should coronavirus restrictions allow it down the road. Like the former NBA forward, Wright was known for her scrappy defensive play.

“Tanisha was the ultimate competitor as a player, and I was fortunate to have her in New York,” Laimbeer said in a news release. “She prepared herself and her teammates both physically and mentally for every game, and I expect her to take that same approach as she transitions to a full-time coaching career.”

Wright started coaching college basketball at Charlotte in 2017. She was getting started there as Jeannette star Ciara Gregory was finishing her playing career.

Wright, a Brooklyn, N.Y. native, helped recruit scoring sensation Cali Konek, who played at three WPIAL schools and graduated from Franklin Regional.

“I am extremely excited about the opportunity I have to continue my coaching career and learn from two of the best in the business in Coach Laimbeer and Coach (Vickie) Johnson,” Wright said. “I hope that my experience and knowledge of the game will be a strong resource in my new position.

“Charlotte and (coach Cara Consuegra) have had a major impact on who I am as a coach. …Cara has been, and will continue to be, a great mentor for me, and for that I am extremely grateful.”

Wright, who scored 2,477 points in her high school career, had 51 points as a junior in a WPIAL title game against Blackhawk.

As a pro, Wright was an all-defensive team pick seven times and played in 457 games — eighth-most in league history. She made 427 steals while playing her first 10 years with the Seattle Storm, the next three with the New York Liberty, a team then coached by Laimbeer, and one year with the Minnesota Lynx.

She won a WNBA title with Seattle in 2010. Her best season may have been 2013 with she averaged 10.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

A three-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Wright led the conference in scoring as a senior at Penn State (19.3 ppg) and was a first-team All-American.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

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Categories: Other Local | Penn State | Sports | U.S./World Sports
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