Updated at 3:10 p.m.
Penn State women’s basketball received long-term security Monday when coach Coquese Washington committed herself to the program after receiving interest from other schools.
‘I love it here,’ Washington said. ‘I really do. I really love being at Penn State. I love what my life is like here. I love what my family’s life is like here. The decision to stay here at Penn State was really a simple one.’
No contract extension was announced, but acting athletic director Dave Joyner said later that was never an issue.
‘We fully intend to keep her for a long time,’ Joyner said about a timeframe for an announcement. ‘We can do that at some point.’
The announcement comes five days after Washington interviewed at Michigan and on the heels of the program’s best season in eight years.
Earlier at 10 a.m.
Something’s up with the women’s basketball program.
But hardly anyone is commenting.
A 3 p.m. news conference has been called at the Bryce Jordan Center with Lady Lions coach Coquese Washington and acting athletic director Dave Joyner.
That leaves two likely outcomes:
a) Signing Washington to another contract extension
b) Seeing Washington leave the program
A team spokeswoman declined comment on the nature of the news conference.
Al Lucas, the father of junior guard Maggie Lucas, is even in the dark after the Detroit Free Press reported last week Washington, a Flint, Mich. native, interviewed for the vacant Michigan coaching position.
“We don’t know anything,” Al Lucas said. “It hasn’t happened yet. We can speculate on it. We’ll wait till that press conference to see what happens.”
A call to the Michigan athletic department was not returned.
Washington, 41, is under contract through the 2014 season after signing an extension in 2010. Entering her sixth season, she led the team to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2004 and has an overall record of 92-67.
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